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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Love stories / Romance
- Subject: Novels
- Published: 01/12/2021
Dark.Angel
Chapter 1: Zane
There are a lot of people who don’t want to follow in their parents’ footsteps. I can understand that. My “father”--even though I don’t like to refer to him as that--is Viper, the king of the demon world. He met a human woman and she had me. Viper is planning to fulfill a prophecy that would allow him to take over the world by surrounding it in a never-ending veil of darkness. If the demon king and his son ever combined their powers after the son’s 17th birthday, it would be strong enough to take over the Earth.
He wanted me to be his “demon prince” and for my mom to be his “demon queen.” She refused, called her sister Jackie and told her all of this. Viper got furious and killed my mom when I was only three years old. Soon after, Jackie adopted me. She told me all of this when I was four. I’ve tried every day to keep Viper and his goddamn prophecy out of my mind and live a normal, human life. I’ve done pretty good so far...except that today is my 17th birthday. My body has been changing. I’ve started to develop dark, demonic powers that I can hardly control. A dark aura constantly surrounds me, and I can’t make it go away.
Last night, I had the worst nightmare ever. I was in a big, empty, pitch black space. It was making my head spin. Things got a whole lot worse when a shadowy figure emerged in front of me. He revealed himself to be Viper. He had spiky white hair and wore all white.
“Zane, my boy, why won’t you join me? Once we rule the Earth, the universe will be a breeze!” He exclaimed while spinning around in a circle.
“Screw that!” I snarled. “I want nothing to do with your evil plan! Mom didn’t, either! She didn’t deserve to die!”
I struggled to keep my tears from falling. No way was I gonna let this asshole see me cry. He growled and threw his arms in the air.
“Fine, Zane! You’re weak, just like those pathetic humans! The prophecy is inevitable! There’s nothing you can do to stop it! You can’t change your demon blood! Soon it will consume you, and when it does, you WILL help me conquer the earth!”
He raised his hand and hundreds of hands grabbed me and pulled me down into the darkness. I didn’t want to admit it, but deep down I knew he was right.
There’s nothing I can do to stop him.
“Zane! Zane, wake up!” Jackie shouts as she shakes me.
I shoot up in my bed, my heart beating so hard and fast I think it might explode out of my chest.
“Shit!” I growl through my teeth.
“Sweetie, it was a bad dream,” Jackie whispers as she rubs my back.
After what feels like forever, air finally returns to my lungs.
“What was your nightmare about?” She asks.
I want to snap, “Why would you ask that?” since she knows about Viper, my mom, everything.
Instead, I simply say:
“I don’t wanna talk about it.”
“I understand. I’ll go get breakfast ready.”
She gets up and leaves my bedroom. I don’t like talking about my problems. It won’t change the fact that my father is a monster and I have demon blood coursing through my veins. Maybe going to school will take my mind off of the nightmare.
Oh, how wrong I would be.
As I walk the hallways at school, I keep my head down. I’m doing everything I can to not draw attention to myself. After my nightmare, I know the smallest thing could tick me off and send me spiraling into darkness. My head is still down and I bump into a guy wearing a football jersey.
“Watch where you’re going, loser!” He shouts.
I look up. He puffs out his chest, and it almost makes me want to laugh.
“Whatever,” I mutter.
He grabs me by the shirt collar and knocks me against a locker.
“What did you say?!” He yells.
I look around and see a crowd starting to form around us.
I’m about to lose it.
Regular people would get into a fight right now. I’m close to unleashing the demon inside me and ripping this dude apart, piece by piece.
“I’m sorry,” I breathe out.
He lets me go.
“Just don’t let it happen again,” he scoffs before walking away.
The school day is over and my anger is reaching a breaking point. First the nightmare, then that dumbass jock?
I can’t take this anymore.
I lean against a tree, far from school. I pull at my long, glistening, midnight blue hair, grasping onto the long strands as I try to center myself. Emotions are attacking me like a million little wasps trying to poison me. I can feel the darkness inside me filling every corner of my being. Soon, I’ll be nothing but a black hole. No light can penetrate my dark heart. I swear, I can even feel my dark blue eyes turn to pitch black. Then, dangerous thoughts echo in my head.
What’s the point of trying to be a normal human? It won’t solve anything.
“Stop it,” I groan.
“Would helping Viper with the prophecy really be all that bad?
“Stop it!” I yell.
I mean, it--
“STOP IT!” I scream.
There’s no hope left for me.
Chapter 2: Melody
The school bell rings and I exit my chemistry class, the last period of the day. As I grab my books and put them in my backpack, I hear some girls talking outside of the door.
“Did you hear what happened earlier today in the hallway?” One of them asks.
“No. What?”
“There was almost a fight between the quarterback and that dark, scary guy.”
Dark, scary guy? Who is that?
“He had dark blue hair, dark blue eyes, and wore all black. Someone said he had an evil look in his eyes.”
One of the other girls scoffed.
“Yeah, right. That’s crazy.”
I think about this for a minute. Whoever this guy was, I felt bad for him.
Everybody is going through something.
That’s what my mom used to say. Nobody knows that more than me.
I reach into my backpack and take out a picture of my mother.
“Hi, Mom,” I say as I smile at the picture.
My eyes start to get watery as I look at her wide, bright smile.
“Another school day finished. I passed that History test. I’m proud that all the hard work I put into studying paid off.”
I smile. I’ve learned that everyone has struggles in their life and there’s not much we can do about it. All we can do is keep living.
My father passed away from cancer when I was three years old, so I never really knew him. For 13 years, it was just me and my mom. She was my best friend. I know it’s silly for a teenager to say that about their mom, but it’s true. Last year, when I was 16, she passed away in an accident. The landlord of the apartment we lived in heard what happened and let me keep living there for free until I graduate from high school. I felt guilty not paying rent like everyone else, so I insisted that I find a job. I’ve been working at an afterschool center a few blocks from my high school ever since. I miss my mom every day, but I’m still happy for all the memories we had. That’s why I carry a picture of her and talk to it. We all have to make a choice when faced with tragedies, and I choose to be happy.
As I turn the corner towards the afterschool center, I hear something that makes my heart jump.
“No.”
Someone is groaning. Who can that be?
“No!
What? They’re yelling now?
“NO!”
Oh my gosh! Now they’re screaming in pain!
I turn around and see someone leaning against a tree in the opposite direction of the school. As I step closer, my breath hitches. This is the guy that those girls were talking about. I can’t see his face but I notice that he’s pulling his hair and sounding like he’s growling. Maybe he’s angry about something. If he is, I don’t want to irritate him more, but I can’t just stand here. My mom’s words echo in my mind:
“Everybody is going through something.”
She’s right. I have to find a way to help him.
“U-Um, excuse me? Are you alright?” I ask him, my voice shaking.
He looks at me and my skin tingles. He really does have dark blue eyes, as dark as the night sky.
“I’m fine,” he wheezes.
“Are you sure? Should I take you into the school so you can see the nurse? Or I could even call 911 for you.”
I try to ease the panic building inside me. If this guy really is in pain and needs help, I have to remain calm.
“No, really, I just…” He trails off.
Now, I’m seeing something that can’t possibly be real.
His eyes start to change from dark blue to pitch black, like when you sleep in your bedroom and there isn’t the smallest bit of light. His clenched teeth are turning into pointy, sharp fangs, scary markings appear on his body that look like skulls, dragons and gargoyles, and he's being engulfed by dark shadows. I take a step back, gasp and cover my mouth with my hands, holding back a scream. I feel like I’m in 100 terrifying horror movie scenes at once.
What was happening?
I panic, thinking he’s about to attack me. Instead, he lets out a loud, painful scream and falls to the ground. He's pulling on his hair with one hand and clutching his chest with the other.
“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?!” I cry out.
Without thinking, I tug on the front of his shirt and turn him completely on his back. I look directly into his eyes. They still have a nightmarish black color.
“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay," I whisper.
I know I’m crazy for what I’m doing. This guy is a stranger and I had just seen him change into...well, I’m not really sure. But I don’t care; no one deserves to be in that much pain. I kneel on the ground next to him, my hand laying on top of his chest. His heart rate is starting to slow down and his breathing is calming. His teeth are straightening, the marks are disappearing and his eyes are returning to their stormy, dark blue color. He sits up and puts his hands on his knees. He slowly looks up and into my eyes. Somehow, it feels like he’s looking directly into my heart.
“Who...Who are you?” he whispers.
“I’m Melody. We go to the same school," I tell him.
His eyes go wide.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah,” I giggle nervously.
“Small world, huh? I heard you saying ‘No’ over and over, and it got worse and I just…”
I swallow hard, feeling my eyes get watery.
“I just had to find a way to help you.”
He groans as he gets into a sitting position.
“But you don’t know me and you just saw…”
I shrug.
“I know, but my mom used to tell me that we should all do what we can to help other people, because you never know when you might be the angel they need.”
He’s just staring at me now.
Nice, Melody. He thinks you’re weird.
I start to ramble and laugh nervously.
“You know what? Forget I said anything. I don’t really know what I’m talking about.”
He shakes his head.
“It’s fine. Actually, I think that’s exactly what I needed to hear today.”
My heart feels like it’s sprouting wings and starting to soar.
“What’s your name?” I ask.
“It’s Zane,” he replies.
Zane. What a cool name.
He suddenly looks away from me
“Listen, Melody…”
My breath hitches after hearing him say my name for the first time.
“It’s not that I’m not grateful to you for helping me, but you saw what I turned into. I’m dangerous. It’s best if you stay away from me.”
I look down at the ground. I know he's right. Still, something inside me won’t listen. I look back up at him.
“But, you were in so much pain. Maybe I could…”
He slowly stands up and now I can see his full body for the first time. He’s incredibly tall with muscles bulging from his arms, chest and legs. I’m feeling things I had never felt for a guy before and I have no idea why.
“Trust me, Melody. It’s for the best. The last thing I want to do is hurt someone,” he whispers.
He slowly walks away. For the next few minutes, as I walk to the afterschool center, my mind starts reeling over what just happened. I pinch myself several times.
Wow, that really wasn’t a dream.
Chapter 3: Zane
I feel like the biggest asshole in the world as I walk away from Melody. I really did mean it when I thanked her for helping me. If she hadn’t been there, I would’ve gone full demon. I could never let that happen, because there would be no going back. Actually, it was kinda bizarre that despite how obviously scared she was of me, all she cared about was helping me. A complete stranger.
A monster.
Out of nowhere, I remember what she said her mom told her: “We should all do what we can to help other people because you never know when you might be the angel they need.”
This girl had been my angel.
I shake my head. It doesn't matter, anyway. I’m not good with people. She had already seen what I was like. It was gonna be hard for us to stay away from each other since we went to the same school.
I can’t wait to get home.
Jackie is waiting at the front door of her house.
“Hi, Zane!” She calls sweetly while waving. Her short, chestnut brown hair is blowing in the wind. Her green blouse and blue pants match the wardrobe my mom has in a picture of her. I shut my eyes. Every time I think about my mom, I feel sick.
“Hi, Jackie,” I respond with a glum look on my face. Her smile quickly fades.
“What’s wrong, honey?” I shake my head.
“It’s happened,” I whisper.
A pained look develops on Jackie’s face. “Oh, dear. Come sit down, Zane,” she says, gesturing to my bedroom. I sit on my bed and she sits on a black chair by my desk. My heart, mind and body feel as heavy as lead. A deep, weathered breath leaves my lungs.
“At school, I accidentally bumped into this jock douchebag. He got in my face and wanted to fight. I knew I would completely lose it if I did, so I just apologized and he walked away.”
I’m struggling to keep my breathing calm as I continue.
“After school, I was so angry. I don’t know how I can keep this demon from emerging, and...I just…”
“Started to mutate?” Jackie finishes, her voice quivering.
The room was silent for a few seconds.
Suddenly, Jackie’s eyes start to widen and she turns to look at me. “Wait, Zane. You said you started to mutate. That means that something made you stop. What was it?”
My heart beats faster when I think of Melody, even though it shouldn’t. She was clearly scared of me and yet she still calmed me down. That smile.
Damn it!
“This girl from school heard me screaming and ran to me. She saw me start to change and…”
“She what?!” Jackie yells as she shoots up from her seat.
“Jackie, can I finish?” I groan.
“Sorry,” she says as she settles back into the chair.
“So, even though I could tell how scared she was, she just wanted to help me. Without realizing it, I started to calm down and turned back to normal.”
“Zane, I think this girl is what you’ve been looking for,” Jackie said, her eyes sparkling. My skin tingled.
“What do you mean?” I asked, clearly puzzled.
“Think about it. The demon part of you starts to take over when you’re angry or afraid, but this girl calmed you down.”
I can’t argue with that. Seriously, what is it about Melody that makes me forget about my fucked-up family? Her eyes? Her smile? The way she just wants me to be happy?
That’s all I’ve ever wanted.
Then, I groan loudly.
“It doesn’t matter. I told her to stay away from me. It’s for the best because if I ever hurt someone, I really will become a complete demon.”
Jackie sighs softly and gets up from her seat.
“Don’t give up, Zane. You’re not your father. If your powers ever do develop, you can use them to help people, not hurt them.”
She quietly leaves my bedroom and closes the door. I fall back on my bed and rub my eyes.
Yeah, right. I’m a monster, not a fucking hero.
The next school day flies by. I haven’t run into Melody, which is a good thing. Being around me would only put her in danger. I stop in my tracks.
Why can’t I stop thinking about her?
Yeah, she helped me, but that was it. She’s just another ordinary girl.
Get her out of your head already, Zane!
I decide to go to the pizzeria down the street from school to clear my head. I call Jackie to tell her I would be home late. She’s getting ready to go to a casino to celebrate a friend’s birthday and staying at a hotel overnight, so she won’t be home until the next morning. I pass by an afterschool center on my way to the pizzeria.
Huh. Never noticed that before.
I pushed open the doors of the pizzeria. Since my mind is still reeling from not being able to stop thinking about Melody, I’m not paying attention to where I was going. Next thing I know, a box of pizza is flying through the air. Out of reflex, I catch it like a running back.
When I look up I see a small group of kids, between the ages of 4 and 10, cheering.
“Did you see that, Miss Melody!” one of the little girls exclaims.
Miss Melody? Oh, hell…
Sure enough, I look to the left and see Melody smiling from ear to ear. Her long, dark brown hair matches her chocolate-colored eyes. She’s wearing a light purple dress and a tan skirt. She looks like a princess.
Damn, this girl sure is pretty up close. Damn, I sure am an idiot!
“Hi, Zane. It’s, um, nice to see you again,” she says as she looks into my eyes.
Her voice is shaky and she quickly looks down. Oh, right. I told her to stay away from me. She probably thinks I’m annoyed. Maybe I am, just a little. Not with her, but with the world for putting her in danger by being around me.
“Yeah, sure,” I say dismissively while handing her the pizza box.
I glanced at the kids who were still looking at me wide-eyed, like I had just saved Melody’s life.
“So, what’s the deal with the kids?” I ask.
“I work at the afterschool center between this pizzeria and our school. I brought them here for some dinner, then I’ll bring them back to the center and their parents will pick them up,” she explains.
Great. Now I’ve put these kids and Melody in danger.
Out of nowhere, I hear a woman scream. Melody, the kids, and I immediately turn to a cashier whose name tag reads Katy. A robber has a gun to her head.
“Listen up, folks! Unless you don’t want this bitch’s death on your conscience, you won’t move an inch while she gives me all of the cash in this dump!” He shouts.
Katy slowly turns around and sees her coworkers and boss, white as ghosts. I see her whisper “I’m sorry” to them as she opens every cash register and dumps the money into the robber’s bag.
All of Melody’s kids started to cry. Still holding Katy’s left wrist, the robber drags her as he stomps over to our table.
“Shut the hell up, you little brats!” He yells.
Suddenly, he gets a wicked grin on his face. His eyebrows rise in excitement and his mouth spreads wide.
“Unless you wanna die.”
My teeth are clenching and I can feel the demon rising inside of me. The robber then pointed the gun at Melody.
“Maybe I should kill your little babysitter instead,” he smirks.
“NO!” She screamed.
I don't know what’s happening, but my demon side is starting to take over, like when Melody and I first met. The robber and Katy are gasping. The kids are crying even louder. “Oh,no” Melody. whispers . She thinks she knows what’s going to happen next, but it’s actually gonna be a whole lot worse than when we met. I look up and see the dark aura circling around me like a hurricane. I look down and see that a strong, black energy has formed in my hands. I give the robber a striking glare.
“Who are you, a wannabe magician?” He scoffs, then he laughs, “Or are you a wannabe hero?”
Maybe Jackie was right. Maybe I could use my powers to help people...like a hero.
Without saying another word I let out a guttural growl, point my open palms at the robber and shoot dark energy at him. Before he has a chance to react, I force the energy into a hundred needles that lacerated his whole body. He screams and lets Katy go as he knocks into a glass wall and falls to the floor. As much as I try to get myself under control, I know I’m not back to normal when I see my reflection in the shards of broken glass. My eyes are still almost completely black, my teeth still have sharp fangs and the demonic markings are still on my arms. I clench my hands into fists, the dark energy still visible all around them.
Fuck!
This is the first time I’ve seen myself in the middle of my true form. I slowly turn around and see the terrified looks on everyone’s faces... except Melody. She’s actually moving toward me and takes my hands in hers. I know she can tell that they’re shaking.
“Zane, it’s okay,” she whispers.
My body almost instantly returns to normal. The dark energy in my hands quickly fades away. Instead of thanking her, I pull my hands away and run out of the pizzeria.
Hero? More like a fucking coward.
Chapter 4: Melody
I’m in total shock and it feels like my body is frozen. Not only did I see Zane transform for the second time, but now other people had seen it, too. Everyone in the pizzeria is as speechless as I am. We’ve just seen Zane unleash some kind of dark power on the robber. Not only am I shaken by what just happened, but I’m also confused.
Why did Zane run out of the pizzeria? Why does he keep saying I should stay away from him when he just used his power to save all of our lives?
I don’t even have a chance to dwell on these thoughts as I hear sirens nearby. Several police cars pull up to the pizzeria. It quickly dawns on me that this was probably why Zane ran away. He must have known that police would find out about the robbery. Even though he saved everyone, the officers would probably consider him more of a threat than the robber and arrest him, too. I see some of the officers escort the robber out of the pizzeria. He’s unconscious, but still alive.
I tell the officers the phone numbers of the kids’ parents. Later, they arrive and thank me for protecting the kids. There is no way I can tell them about Zane. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t believe me, anyway. An older officer with a name tag that reads Chief Perkins is asking Katy a barrage of questions. My heart sinks for her. She’s just had the most traumatic experience of her life, and now she has to relive it. Then again, I’m glad I’m not being questioned. I mean, the robber had pointed his gun at me, too. My mind is wandering to Zane again as I think about how his power emerged when the robber threatened me instead of Katy. I sigh and shake my head.
I shouldn’t be thinking about that. It’s not like he likes me or anything.
“So, tell me, Katy. How did the suspect end up against the wall?” Chief Perkins asks her.
Oh, no. I know where this is going.
Is she going to tell the truth? If she does, will they believe her? After taking a deep
breath she replies,
“There was a highschool girl who had a group of children with her. When they started to cry, the suspect dragged me to their table and pointed his gun at her.”
Another officer looks at me and walks over. His name tag reads Officer Baxter. My heart is beating faster by the second.
“Miss, would you be willing to answer a few questions about what happened today?” He asks. “It would really help with our investigation.”
He’s younger than Chief Perkins and seems more patient and friendly. I look up at him.
“Okay.”
His first few questions are harmless enough: Why did I have the kids with me, why I brought them to the pizzeria. I’m not paying much attention to Chief Perkins and Katy, until I hear her say the words “highschool boy,” “transform” and “dark power.” I gasp. Both of them glance at me.
“What is it?” Officer Baxter asks.
I can’t tell them I know Zane. He’ll be so mad at me. But what if the officers find out I did know him and that I lied? I decide that I will do whatever I can to protect him.
“Well, um, I saw the same thing that she did. I know it’s hard to believe, but it happened.”
My eyes move frantically between Chief Perkins and Officer Baxter. I’m praying that they won’t see through me. Officer Baxter smiles at me, and I relax a little.
“Well, then, it’s good that we have more than one witness. It will make getting the robber convicted much easier.”
Officer Perkins does not look convinced. “Baxter, look through the security camera. I want to see this ‘power’ for myself.”
Officer Baxter stands on a chair to reach the security camera on the ceiling. He pulls out a camcorder from his bag and connects it with the security camera. After a minute, a black and white video develops of the robber walking towards me and the kids while still holding Katy. Everything that happened earlier played on the video: Zane changing before our very eyes and making scary growling sounds, attacking the robber with his dark powers, me walking over to comfort him and then him running out of the pizzeria. The video stops abruptly.
“What the hell?!” Chief Perkins shouts.
“Oh my God!” exclaims Officer Baxter.
“See? I told you I wasn’t making it up!” Katy yells.
Then, Chief Perkins says something that terrified me, “That young man is a monster.”
I swear, I can feel my heart start to break.
“Now, hold on, Chief,” Officer Baxter says. “Yes, if what we saw is real, then this kid could be dangerous. But, he did just save several people from being killed.”
“That’s right!” I blurt before I can stop myself. I will do anything to convince everyone that Zane is not a monster, including Zane himself. “If he really was a monster, he wouldn’t have done what he did. If you ask me, he’s a hero.”
My eyes move to Katy and she gives me a small smile. She feels the same way I do. Car engines rev near the pizzeria. We all turn around and see several news vans approaching.
“Baxter, take these young ladies home. We can deal with the press,” Chief Perkins directs.
Officer Baxter nods and then turns to me and Katy. “Come on, girls,” he says.
I give Officer Baxter the address to my apartment. Katy says he can drop her off at her house later. While Katy and I ride in Officer Baxter’s police car, I can’t stop thinking how unfair it is that Chief Perkins called Zane a monster. “What will the police do about...that guy?” I ask Officer Baxter, making sure I don’t use Zane’s name.
“Honestly, even though that kid thwarted a crime, he’s clearly a threat. We’ll have to keep an eye out for him,” he replies.
“That’s not fair!” Katy shouts. “We would be dead without him and you’re acting like he was the one who robbed the place and almost killed us!”
He lets out a deep sigh. “Listen, girls. I agree with you about him. But, with powers like that, he could be unstable and a bigger danger to everyone.”
I have to agree with that, even though I don’t want to.
“If he keeps helping people like this, we’ll back off our surveillance on him. If he ends up putting someone in danger, we’ll have to take drastic measures.”
I swallow hard.
What does that mean?
The police car pulls up to my apartment. As I step out of the car, I glance over my shoulder. Katy has a frustrated look on her face. I take my house key out of my skirt pocket and unlock the door. My bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room are pretty small but I don’t mind. I’m working and I’m on my own. I’m sure my mom would be proud of me for staying so positive after she passed away. I wonder if she would also be proud of how protective I am of Zane.
There I go, thinking about him again.
I sit on my bed and take out my picture of her. “Hi, mom,” I say softly, my hands shaking. “I barely know Zane and I know what he’s capable of, but I still believe he’s a good person. What do you think?”
I remember what my mom told me about helping other people and being their angel. I told Zane this when we met. I suddenly smile more genuinely at the picture.
“You’re right, mom. Zane was my angel, Katy’s angel, and the kids’ angel today. Officer Perkins may not see him that way, Zane may not even see himself that way, but I do.” I hold the picture to my chest. I wish I could hold Zane and tell him how special he is to me.
Chapter 5: Zane
My mind is spinning as I barge into my bedroom.
What the fuck was wrong with me?
I took Jackie’s advice to be a “hero,” saved a bunch of people from an armed robber and what did I do? I hightailed it out of there without another word, like I was the criminal!
Fuck! Why did I run away?
Maybe it was seeing my reflection in all that broken glass. It reminded me of how I have this demon blood mixed with my human blood and there’s nothing I can do to change it. My breathing starts to calm when I think about Melody again. The two times I’ve shifted and came close to losing it, she calmed me down. The way she held my hand, told me everything would be okay and saw me as that hero instead of a demon was what I needed to hear. I punch my pillow when I think about how I ran away.
I’m going to hurt everyone eventually...including her. I just don't know when.
The next morning, the alarm clock feels like a jackhammer into my skull. My mind is still spinning from what happened yesterday. I groan as I sit up and rub my eyes. I walk to the kitchen and make myself some breakfast. When I turn on the TV, what I see on the morning news takes my breath away.
“Yesterday, police arrived at the aftermath of an attempted robbery at a local pizzeria,” the news anchorman reports, his monotonous voice droning through the speakers. “He held a female employee at gunpoint. Eyewitnesses also say he also pointed the gun at a high school girl who was supervising a group of young children, ages ranging from four to ten years old.”
I lean against the kitchen table, trying to calm my racing heart. I know where this is going.
Melody.
I look up and see the chief of police talking to a reporter. “On our surveillance camera, we discovered that a young man with some kind of dark powers wounded the suspect. While we are grateful that he saved several lives, we still consider him very dangerous.”
You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me! Talk about ungrateful.
He continues. “We will maintain surveillance for him rigorously in the coming days. If he continues to help and protect our citizens, we will eventually lift our surveillance on him. However, if we identify any sign of him being a threat to the public, we will capture him by any means necessary.”
I turn off the TV. I am beyond pissed off.
I take Jackie’s stupid advice to save people and this is the thanks I get?!
As I walk down the school hallways, I keep my head down and my hands in my pockets, just like always. Usually I can stay anonymous, but that seems impossible today.
I hear whispers like:
“Is that the guy who saved a bunch of people at that pizzeria?”
“I think so. I heard he’s got some kind of dark powers. That’s super cool!”
But, I also hear whispers like:
“That guy scares me.”
“Yeah. Maybe it would be best if the police locked him up.”
It’s lunchtime now, and I’m praying that everyone will just leave me the hell alone, for their own safety.
“Zane!” I hear a high voice call out. I look up and see Melody walking toward me. My heartbeat is accelerating. I hope she doesn’t think I was a douchebag for running out of the pizzeria, like a bat out of hell.
“Um...is it okay if I sit next to you?” she asks, clearly nervous.
“Sure,” I say simply.
Her mouth spreads into a wide, beautiful smile. For the first time since I met her, I smile back. Melody sat next to me and most of the darkness in my chest fades away.. But, I still feel terrible about yesterday.
“Melody, I’m sorry about yesterday. I was just so overwhelmed by everything. Having everyone, including those kids, see me mutuate, seeing my scary powers, and seeing myself. I know it’s no excuse for running away, especially after you told me everything would be okay, but…”
Suddenly, Melody wraps her arms around me, pulling me in for a big hug. She feels so warm and the darkness inside me immediately disappears. I’ve never felt this way before. She pulls back. Her eyes are watery, but she’s still smiling.
“It’s okay, Zane. I understand. I can’t imagine how hard it was for you.”
Forget about me. You’re the one that had a gun pointed at you.
“I saw the morning news. It made me really sad because Chief Perkins made it seem like you had some kind of ulterior motive. I know that’s not true. You saved everyone. You really were a hero.” Then, Melody said something that almost broke my heart.
“I just wish you would see yourself the way I do.” I look down at the floor.
“Me too,” I whisper.
A hurricane of emotions begins to spin inside of me. Now that Melody has seen my powers develop and part of my true form, I can’t hide who I really am from her anymore. I let out a deep breath and ask her:
“Melody, do you want to come to my house tomorrow after you’re done watching those kids? I’ll pick you up from there and we can walk to my house together. There’s something I need to talk to you about.” The nervous look on her face already made me regret asking her, but I couldn’t back out now. I put my hand on her shoulder. “I like you, Melody. You’re the first real friend I’ve ever had. But, if we’re going to keep hanging out, you need to know everything about me.”
She sat there silent for a minute.
“O-oh, okay,” she said with a shaky voice. She reaches into her skirt pocket.
“I’ll make a memo of it on my phone.” When she tries to pull her phone out, a piece of paper falls on the floor. “Oh, no! I’m sorry, Mom!” She panics.
Mom? What the hell?
She picks it up. The picture is of a woman with short, reddish-brown hair and a big grin on her face.
“Who’s that?” I ask, even though I’m pretty sure who it is.
“This is my mom. She was my best friend.” She glances down at the picture again, then briefly closes her eyes. “No. She is my best friend.” She looks back at me. “My mom passed away in an accident last year.” My heart is breaking for her. “Oh my God, Melody. I’m so sorry,” I whisper.
Even though I never really knew my mom, I still miss her every day. At least Melody has memories of her mom to hold onto.
Instead of bursting into tears, she gave me a huge smile, just like her mom in the photo.
“It’s okay. She’s still here with me.” She smiled down at the picture. “Isn’t that right, Mom?”
I smile.
Damn, this girl is amazing.
The school day is over. Melody waves at me with that angelic smile of hers as she walks to the afterschool center. Suddenly, I hear my phone ring. I take it out and see Jackie’s name on the caller ID. I answer it.
“Hi, Jackie.”
“Zane, sweetie. How are you doing? Are you okay?” she asks, concern palpable in her voice.
“Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?” I reply, clearly confused.
“Well, I just got home from the casino this morning and I saw you on the news,” she explains.
“Oh, right. That,” I groan.
“You didn’t… lose control, did you?” she asks worriedly.
“No. I was fine.”
I might have lost control if Melody wasn’t there.
“Jackie, can I bring a friend over tomorrow?”
“Sure. Who is that?”
“Her name’s Melody. She works at an afterschool center right down the block from the highschool. She’ll come over when the parents pick up the kids.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
Shit! Was Jackie gonna say no? I’ve never had anyone over before, let alone a girl.
“Zane, you’re going to tell this girl all about you, aren’t you?” She whispers.
“Yeah. She deserves to know everything. And...she’s really special to me.”
Suddenly, Jackie’s tone does a total 180. I can practically hear her smile.
“Okay then. I’ll make some food for you guys. See you when you get home.” She hangs up her phone before I can respond.
What...the hell…was that about?
Chapter 6: Melody
As I watch Zane walk away from the school, I feel a mix of excitement and fear. I’m excited because I’m going to Zane’s house and getting to know more about him now that we’ve become friends. However, I’m also a little scared because I know what he has to tell me has to do with his...abilities. I sigh and take out the picture of my mom. I remember that Zane didn’t think I was weird when I told him that I talked to a picture of my mom. Actually, he liked it. He even smiled for the first time since we met. A warm feeling is developing in my chest and my nerves disappear.
“Hi, Mom,” I said. “I don't know what Zane has to tell me, but whatever it is, I can handle it. Since I’ve met him, I’ve just wanted to see him happy. So I’m going to stay positive about this. Love you.”
I hug the picture and put it in my skirt pocket. As I walk toward the afterschool center. butterflies start going haywire in my stomach after I remember what I confessed to Mom.
Since I’ve met him, I’ve just wanted to see him happy.
Is Zane really just a friend or something...more? As soon as the kids see me, they jump on me. I laugh and hug them.
Some things never change.
“Miss Melody, the guy who saved us at the pizza place was on the news this morning. Do you know him?” asks T.J., one of the oldest boys.
My body is frozen. I’m not sure how to answer that. I remember my mom told me that honesty is always the best policy.
Zane would be honest to me about everything during our talk.
I take a deep breath. “Yes. We go to the same high school.”
All the kids cheer and jump up and down. Sally, one of the youngest girls, tugs on my shirt. “Can he come over sometime, Miss Melody? Pleeeeease?”
.“You really want to meet him?” I ask.
“Yeah! He’s a hero!” T.J. shouts. I grin.
Can’t argue with that.
“He used his awesome powers to stop that robber! He’s so cool!”
I wonder what Zane would think if I ask him to meet the kids. He doesn’t really seem like a “kids” person. Then again, it will be great to show him that I’m not the only one who sees him as a hero.
“Okay. I’ll ask him to come over.”
All the kids started jumping on me again. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard.
Seeing the kids happy will make Zane happy...and make what he has to tell me easier to swallow.
Chapter 7: Zane
I'm beyond tense as I walk down the school hallway. I have no idea how Melody is going to react to my confession. Two voices in my head are battling each other for dominance. There’s the smaller, more optimistic voice in my head that believes that Melody can take anything I tell her. After all, she’s already partially seen the demonic side of me and has accepted it. Then, there’s the bigger, more logical voice that believes that no normal person could possibly be okay with who I really am. If Melody runs away, like she should, it will be for the best. Then again, Melody isn’t exactly normal. I mean, who is that happy all the time, seriously? Actually, it’s kind of cute.
Damn it!
Just like yesterday, I hear the same whispers down the hallway, some positive and some negative. I’m doing my best to ignore them, even the positive ones because they made me think of Melody. My mind is stuck in worst case scenario mode because there is no way she could accept the real me, despite what she’s already seen. I hear a high, sweet voice near me.
“Excuse me, have you seen Zane?”
I know that it’s Melody. I turn around and see another girl pointing near me.
“Oh, there you are!” She chirps as she walks toward me. I smile, even as I hear the big, logical voice echo,
“Don’t get too comfortable, idiot! You might make her cry after the talk.”
Maybe, but seeing her in front of me right now, smiling like an angel, I don’t fucking care.
“Hey. What’s up?”
Melody is still smiling but I can tell she’s suddenly nervous about something.
“Um, Zane, I was wondering if we could do something before we go to your house?”
“What’s that?”
“Well, the kids at the afterschool center want you to visit them.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Really? Why?”
“They think you’re a really cool hero,” she giggles
God, I love it when she does that.
I laugh for the first time in years. Literally, years.
“They do, huh?”
Melody’s cheeks are turning red. I put my hand on her shoulder.
“Sure, Melody. It’ll be great to know that you’re not the only one who believes in me.”
Melody gives me a big hug.
Always full of surprises.
“Thank you so much! The kids will be so happy!”
You make me so happy.
Even though it’s impossible for me to not think about the talk, I’ve decided to enjoy this moment. I want to see the kids be excited to meet a hero. I’m far from being a hero--if they only knew who I really am--but I don't mind pretending. As I knock on the front door, I hear a cluster of cheers from the kids. I smile to myself..
Maybe this would be fun after all.
Melody opens the door.
“Hi, Zane! Thank you so much for coming!” She greets me with a wide grin.
I smile and ruffle her hair as I walk in. “No problem.”
I glance around the room. In one half there there is a small blue table, building blocks and stuffed animals, and a sign that reads, “K-1st Grade.” In the other half there is a bigger green table, board games and playing cards, and a sign that reads, “2nd-4th Grade.” The second I step into the room and the kids see me, they all run toward me.
“You’re here!” One of the youngest girls, about five years old, squeals.
“You’re so awesome!” One of the oldest boys, about ten, years old, cheers.
Melody laughed.
“Okay, Sally. Okay, T.J. Let’s give Zane some space.”
“Your name is Zane?” T.J. asks.
“Yeah,” I say.
“That’s a cool name!” he shouts.
“Yeah, I guess it is,” I smirk..
“Can you show some of your powers to us?” Sally asks.
I tighten my jaw.. I don’t want to accidentally destroy this place...or have the demon part of me go out of control. I glance worriedly at Melody.
“As long as we do it outside so nothing gets broken, I guess it’s fine,” she smiles.
Okay then. If these kids want a hero, I’ll be that hero for them.
I wish I could be that hero for Melody, too.
Melody leads me and the kids out of the building and toward the playground behind it. I take a deep breath and form some dark energy in my hands. Melody and the kids’ eyes are going wide as I do it. I raise my hands to the sky and the energy bursts like fireworks. It made the kids clap and cheer. Then, I use the energy to form a sword and pretend I’m slashing bad guys. Melody’s cheering now too, as loud and excited as the kids. I can’t help glancing at her and giving her a smirk. It’s like I’m trying to impress her as much as the kids.
“What’s your hero name?” T.J asks. “Every hero needs one.”
I shrugged. “Dunno. Hadn’t really thought of it before.”
Maybe because before Melody, I always felt like a freak.
“Oh! I just thought of one!” Melody interjects.
“Really? What is it?” I ask.
“Dark.Angel.”
My eyes go wide. “Dark.Angel?” I repeat.
“Well, yeah,” she says nervously. “I mean, even though you have dark powers, you’re still like an angel because you save people and make them happy.”
I stare at her for a few seconds. It sounds so...badass. Melody starts to freak out, rambling while waving her hands.
“I’m so sorry! That was a silly name! What do I know about hero names, anyway? I’m sure you thought of something much better!”
I walk over to her and put my hands on her shoulders.
“No, Melody. I love it.”
I think I love you.
She immediately relaxes and gives me that beautiful smile.
As the kids eat snacks that Melody brought from inside the building, I hear car engines and look up. A group of adults exit out of their cars and head towards the building. They must be the kids parents. My nerves shoot up. I may have saved their kids, but they still may see me as a monster. A woman notices us at the playground, runs over to T.J. and hugs him.
“Hi, sweetie!” She cheers. She glances at me and her face turns white. Great.
“Is that…”
“Yep! That’s the guy who saved us at the pizza place!” T.J beams like I’m his big brother.
“He used his super cool dark powers to save us! He was showing us more of them!”
A man picks up Sally and kisses her. He doesn’t look as nervous as T.J.’s mom. I hope that’s a good sign.
“Is that true, princess?” He asks her.
“Uh-huh! His name is Zane but his hero name is Dark.Angel! Miss Melody gave him that name!”
The parents are staring at me. I don’t know what to do, so I’ll just explain everything to them. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves.
“Ladies and gentleman, my name is Zane. Your children know me as Dark.Angel. You may have seen the story on the news where there was an armed robbery at the local pizzeria. I used my dark powers to protect everyone.”
I then demonstrate my powers the same way I showed the kids. The difference is that while I was excited to show the kids--I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun--I’m almost terrified to do it in front of the parents. The air is silent and cold as I finish. I slowly open my eyes and the parents are...applauding? And cheering? Wow. So this is what’s like to be in the Twilight Zone. The next thing I know, T.J.’s mom is giving me a huge hug.
“That was amazing!” She exclaims. All I can do is blink and shake my head over and over again, to the point that it looks like I might have a seizure.
“I may not know everything about you Zane…” She giggles. “I mean Dark.Angel, but you saved our children’s lives. That’s good enough for me.”
Sally’s dad walks over and shakes my hand.
“I couldn’t agree more. Thank you for protecting my little girl.”
I look over at Melody and happy tears are rolling down her face. I smile at her, the kids and their parents. I feel like I can finally be happy.
Yeah, right.
Suddenly, I hear police sirens racing toward the afterschool center. My blood turns ice cold.
This could get really, really bad.
The old police chief that I saw on the morning news jumps out of a squad car, holding a gun in his right hand. His name tag reads, Perkins.
“Leave those kids and their families alone, you punk!” He shouts while pointing the gun at me.
A younger officer whose name tag reads Baxter follows behind him, pointing his gun at me, too.
“We got a call from the people in this neighborhood about a young man using dark powers,” Baxter explained. “We will not let you harm these children. Now please, come quietly.”
Melody and the kids started screaming. In less than a minute, about two dozen more squad cars crowded the streets. All the officers are pointing their guns at me before I can blink.
I clench my teeth, shut my eyes and tighten my hands into fists. I’m doing everything I can to not let the demon inside me out, but it’s tough. No matter how hard I try to do the right thing, it’s never enough. No matter how happy I am being around Melody, it’s never enough.
I’m never enough.
The shitshow continues as several news vans follow behind the police cars. Cameramen have the windows down and point their cameras at the potential story, like I’m a performer putting on a show for them.
Before I can yell at them to fuck off, Melody jumps in front of me.
“No! Please!” Melody yelled. “Zane didn’t do anything wrong! He was just showing the kids his powers, the same he used to save all of us!” She looks behind her at the kids. “Isn’t that right, everybody?”
“Yeah!” They cheered while raising their fists in this air.
“That’s right!” T.J.’s mom shouts. “This boy saved our babies!”
Thank you!
Sally’s dad stands next to Melody, crosses his arms and scowls at the cops.
“Exactly. If I remember correctly a crazy gunman could’ve killed all of our children, but Dark. Angel stopped him.” He winks at me and I smirk.
Then, more surprises. Jackie jumps out of one of the news vans and runs towards me, but Chief Perkins grabs her wrist with his left hand.
“No! Please! My nephew would never hurt anyone!” She cries.
I see Melody’s eyes widen. Oh yeah, she and Jackie haven’t met. This is all too much for me. I’m seconds away from destroying everyone and everything. So, I’m going to do the one thing I know will keep the demon inside me at bay.
I get down on my knees and lift my wrists in the air.
“Take me away, lock me up, I don’t care,” I whispers. “Just leave everyone else out of this.”
Perkins, still holding onto Jackie’s wrist, nods to Baxter. Baxter grabs my wrists, twists them around my back and locks handcuffs on them. My head hangs low. I can hear Jackie screaming and sobbing.
This is what I do. I make people cry. I hurt them. Whether as a demon or a human. It’s all I was put in this fucked up world to do.
As Perkins carries me to a squad car, T.J. and Sally run to me with their parents, Melody and the rest of the kids and parents following them.
“We don’t care what the cops say!” T.J. shouts. “You’re still a hero to us, Zane!” He smiled a little. “I mean, Dark.Angel.”
I smile back at him.
“Ditto!” Sally chimes.
I nod at her. Then, I see Melody about to cry.
“It’s okay, Melody. It’s for the best,” I whisper and smile at her. “Thanks for everything.”
I hear Perkins scoff. “Baxter, take ‘Dark.Angel’ away.”
“You got it, Chief,” he replies.
Baxter pushes me into the back seat. Then he gets in the driver's seat with Perkins sitting in the passenger’s seat.
“So, are you takin’ me to jail?” I grumble.
Perkins gives me a deadly look over his shoulder.
“Are you kidding? If you're as dangerous as we suspect, you could kill all the inmates. We’re taking you to a place where you won’t be a threat to anyone ever again.”
I almost laugh at that. If these assholes think I’m dangerous now...I’d like to see they look on their faces if they keep fucking with me.
Chapter 8: Melody
My heart is breaking for several reasons. The kids are crying while their parents try to console them, Zane looks like he's given up on life as Chief Perkins and Officer Baxter arrest him, and worst of all, there is a woman crying hysterically as Zane is taken away. I wonder if she’s his mom. That was something Zane might have told me if we had our “talk,” but it obviously won’t happen now. In fact, I don’t know if I will ever see him again. As the woman’s breath finally calms and she is about to get into her car, a strange feeling comes over me. It’s the same feeling I had when I first met Zane. As scared as I was of him, I needed to help him. The feeling was back. Now, I’m scared for him, but I still will do anything to help him. I slowly walk towards the woman.
“Excuse me? Do you know Zane?” I ask her. She looks up at me. She still has tears in her eyes but her voice is steady.
“Yes. I’m Jackie, Zane’s aunt,” she replies.
My pulse speeds up. That explains her breakdown.
“Well, my name is Melody. I’m Zane’s friend. We go to the same school and I look over the kids you saw from a nearby afterschool center.”
She gives me a small smile. “I see. I was worried that Zane would never have a friend. I’m glad it’s with such a sweet girl like you.”
The fear in my heart starts to fade away. I grin at her.
“Thank you. That’s very nice of you to say.”
My grin slowly starts to fade.
“I hope it’s not any trouble, but can we talk?”
I lower my eyes to the ground.
“It’s...about Zane.”
Jackie’s eyes close briefly and she lets out a breath. She seems to know exactly where I’m going with this.
“You saw him, didn’t you?” She whispers.
The pain in her voice makes me panic.
“No! I mean, I did see him...change. But, it was because he was close to losing control and I just wanted to help him and I…”
Jackie puts her hand on my shoulder. “Slow down, Melody. I’ll take you to my house. Zane lives with me. We can talk there.”
I nodded.
As we drive to Jackie’s house, my nerves are going haywire. What were the officers going to do with Zane? Would they put him in jail? Would Jackie ever see him again? Would I ever see him again?
I take out my mom’s picture.
What do you think, mom?
I remember the time I sobbed for hours after my father passed away. My mom gave me a big hug and said:
Never give up, no matter what life throws your way.
I smile and hug the picture.
You’re right, mom. I won’t give up. I still believe in Zane.
I try to ignore that feeling in my chest. The one that feels stronger than just friendship.
“Melody?” I hear Jackie ask me.
I quickly turn toward her. “Oh, I’m sorry! Yes?”
“We’re here.”
I look to the side and see her house. It was small and cozy with a beautiful bright yellow coat of paint. It looks like a white picket fence and pretty flowers should be surrounding it. The thought of that makes me smile.
I follow Jackie into the front door of the house and we take seats at the kitchen table.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” She asks.
“Yes. Root beer if you have it, please” I say.
Root beer was my mom’s favorite soda. Jackie pours a cup of root beer and gives it to me. I take a long drink, trying to calm my nerves.
Jackie gives me a somber look.
“Listen, Melody. Since you’re Zane’s friend, I think you should know everything about him.”
I silently nod. I wish we could be more than friends.
“He had actually planned to have a talk with me today before the police came”
Jackie nods in understanding, then lets out a long breath.
“Since you’ve seen Zane’s true form, even though not completely, you can tell that he’s not 100% human.”
My heart falls to my stomach. I already know this deep down, but hearing it out loud makes me more anxious. I was about to learn everything about Zane’s life: the good, the bad and the ugy. Mostly the bad and the ugly.
“Zane’s father is the king of the demon world. His name is Viper. He wanted to fulfill an ancient prophecy that would allow him to conquer Earth by covering it in a never-ending blanket of darkness. To do that, he needed a son, so he could multiply his power. There were no more female demons in his world so he came to Earth.”
She paused for a second.
“Are you okay, Melody? Is this too much for you?”
I shake my head.
“No. I’m okay. I need to know everything.”
“Okay,” she whispers, then continues.
“Viper met my sister and they had Zane. When Zane turns 17, Viper will be able to combine their powers to be strong enough to fulfill the prophecy. He wanted them to be his ‘Demon Queen’ and ‘Demon Prince.’ When she refused…”
Jackie paused again.
“He killed her,” she confesses, her voice cracking.
I’m one second away from sobbing myself.
“It’s alright, Melody,” she says with a sympathetic smile.
“After that, I adopted Zane and have raised him ever since. When he turned 17 last week, I was very worried because I knew anything could trigger him and the prophecy would begin. I just prayed that he would be strong enough to keep the demon inside of him under control.”
She sits quiet in her seat for a few seconds.
“Well, now you know all about Zane.”
She gives me a reassuring smile that makes me a little less nervous.
“So, how did you meet him?”
My hands shake a little in my lap.
“Well, one day, I was on my way to the afterschool center when I heard someone groaning and screaming in pain. I saw Zane, and even though I was a little scared, I had to find a way to help him.”
Jackie smiles at me, and it’s calming my nerves down by the second.
“When we started talking he fell to the ground, screaming louder and even in more pain than before. Then, he started to transform and I just kept telling him that everything would be okay. Eventually, he calmed down and turned back to normal.”
In the blink of an eye, Jackie jumps out of her seat and gives me a big hug. As surprised as I am, I also feel really happy.
“Melody, I don’t think you know how much of an impact you’ve had on Zane,” she says.
I have a feeling I do, but I still giggle and say:
“Oh, I don’t know about that.”
She sits back down in her chair and I see her eyes sparkle.
“No, really. I keep telling him that he can use his powers to help people, like a hero. He always thinks so little of himself but…”
My heart is so excited, it feels like it’s doing cartwheels in my chest.
“Wait, Jackie! Did you say, ‘hero?’”
“Yes…” She drags out the word, clearly confused.
“Did you see that news story when Zane stopped an armed robbery at the pizzeria?”
“Yes…” She repeats in the same confused tone.
“Well, I was there with the kids from the afterschool center, and…” I pause briefly, trying to prevent the image of the robber pointing a gun at me from returning to my mind. I quickly recover before Jackie notices.
“Sorry. So anyway, the kids and I were there and we saw Zane use his powers to stop the robber.”
“Seriously?! That’s amazing!” Jackie shouts as she jumps up from her seat.
I grinned.
“Yeah. The kids were so excited that they asked me if they could meet him the next day. He agreed and he showed them his powers, and then…”
I trail off. I don’t want to think about how the entire police force only saw Zane as a monster when me, the kids and their parents saw him as a hero.
Jackie finishes for me.
“I know, Melody. I know.”
As much as I try to keep the tears in my eyes, I can’t stop them from falling down my cheeks. This is so unfair. Zane doesn’t deserve any of this.
Jackie gets up from her seat, wipes my tears away and hugs me.
“It’s okay, Melody. Zane will be okay. We have to believe that.”
I sniffle and take out my picture of my mom.
“Who’s that?” Jackie asks.
“It’s my mom. She passed away last year.”
“Melody…” she whispers.
I shake my head.
“It’s okay. She always told me to stay positive and see the good in people. When I look at Zane, I don’t see a demon or a monster. I see someone who just wants to be loved and understood.”
Jackie nods in agreement. Looking down at the picture, I think about the love my mom gave me. I want to give that kind of love to Zane. That realization gives me the courage to tell Jackie something I wish I could tell Zane, but may never get the chance to. I take a deep breath.
“Jackie, I think I...:”
I hear a buzzing sound. Jackie reaches into her pocket.
“Sorry, Melody. Hold that thought. I get a text whenever there’s breaking news.”
She looks down at her phone for about 15 seconds, then covers her mouth in shock, causing the phone to fall to the floor. My heart leaps into my throat.
“Jackie, what’s wrong?”
She turns on the TV in the kitchen and flips through channels until she gets to the local news.
The caption reads: Dark.Angel Transported to Scientific Holding Facility.
My skin crawls. That sounds way worse than jail.
“Earlier today, the suspicious being known as Dark.Angel was arrested by local police after reportedly endangering a group of small children,” the reporter says.
“SWAT from all across the country have surrounded the holding facility to keep Dark.Angel at bay.”
Jackie and I just sit there, speechless. To make matters worse, I see Jackie glance out the window. When I do the same, I see the sky start to go from sunny and cloud-free to dark and ominous.
“No, no, no,” Jackie whispers.
“What is it?” I ask, my own voice shaking.
Several lightning bolts hit the ground, one at a time, and the sound of thunder cracks through the sky like a whip. We both know that something is about to happen. We look at the TV and the same thing is happening where the reporter is.
The new caption reads: Mysterious Storm Raging, Take Cover Immediately!
“We are getting reports of a storm developing and may potentially cause severe damage!” the reporter yells over the raging storm.
“Everyone, let’s get out of here!” He shouts to the camera crew.
The camera seems to have fallen to the ground, because the TV quickly turns fuzzy. The next thing we know, someone is banging on the front door. Jackie runs to the door and opens it. A pair of police officers are standing there.
“Ma’am, please come with us!” He directed. “We’re evacuating citizens from their homes and escorting them to a storm shelter!”
Jackie looks down at the floor. She knows what was really going on and it’s much worse than any regular storm. She looks back at the officers.
“Okay,” she finally agrees.
She glances over her shoulder.
“Come on, Melody. Let’s go.”
I silently nod and we follow the officers out of the house. Just as we are about to step into their squad car, I see something straight out of a horror movie. A figure dressed all in white emerges from the sky. He has a mischievous look in his eyes and his grin is a thousand times scarier than the Joker’s.
“No! Not him! Not now! This can’t be happening!” Jackie cries.
“Jackie! Is that…” I started to ask, but I’m so overcome with fear that I can’t get the word out.
“Yes. That’s Viper. Zane’s father,” she whispers.
This can only mean one thing: The prophecy.
“What the hell is that?” The two officers shout in unison.
The next thing I know, they jump into their squad car and drive away as fast as they could. I don’t blame them.
This...is...Viper.
“Ah, finally I am strong enough to conquer the Earth! Once I consume this planet in never-ending darkness, I will have enough power to control the entire universe!” He proclaims.
Then, he spots Jackie. Even though he doesn’t notice me, my own blood freezes.
“Well, well, well. What a pleasant surprise, Jackie. Nice to see you again,” he says in a sly, arrogant voice.
Jackie scowled.
Then, his eyes moved over to me.
“Oh, who do we have here?” he teases.
I almost pass out.
“Melody, get behind me!” Jackie commands.
I hide behind her body so Viper can’t see my face anymore.
“Your prophecy will never come true, Viper!” She shouts.
“Zane is strong enough to fight off the darkness!”
Viper lets out a loud cackle.
“Oh, is that so, my dear? Well, you might want to take a look behind you.”
Chapter 9: Zane
As I sit in the cop car, feeling damn uncomfortable because of my height, I think about what Perkins told me. They’re not taking me to jail, but to someplace much worse. Wherever it is, I deserve it. Because of my demon blood, I put everyone around me in danger. Those kids, their parents, Jackie, Melody.
Melody.
I groan as I think about her. This sweet girl has been through so much, and unlike me, she never gives up. Every second I’m around her I start to believe that there’s hope for me.
What a joke.
I’m a monster and that’s all there is to it.
“We’re here!” Perkins calls out.
I look up and see a gigantic building with a dull, bleak, grayish color, like a tombstone. It has several floors. It looks like Dracula’s castle. There are antennas sticking out of the far left and right wings, and dozens of SWAT officers surrounding it.
“What the hell is this place?” I mutter.
“It’s a scientific holding facility,” Baxter responds.
“This will be your new home every day as we try to figure out who--or rather, what--you are. That way, you won’t be a danger to our city.”
I want to shout that I use my powers to save people and make kids happy, but I know I would just be wasting my breath. Perkins steps out of the police car and drags me in front of the holding facility. The cops and soldiers stare at me. I growl back at them. Some simply raise their eyebrows, while others flinch. They probably saw a little of my demon side come out. I’m quickly losing it, and I’m not sure if I cared anymore.
The cops escort me into the facility. It has the same gloom, depressing gray color as the outside.
Shit.
At the end of the hallway stands a scientist in a white coat. His name tag reads, Dr. Duff. He reminds me of Viper, which makes me want to vomit. The cops hold up their badges.
“Chief Perkins and Officer Baxter, at your service,” Perkins states.
“We have apprehended the entity known as Dark.Angel.”
Entity?
Man, they really don’t think of me as human.
I don’t, either.
Not anymore.
Duff gives me a sinister smile. Again, thoughts of Viper assault my mind. I want to scream, but I know it won’t change anything.
“Thank you, officers,” he replies smugly.
“When I saw this freak on the news, I was hoping you would capture him. So what if he saved lives? He’s much more dangerous than any human. He’s clearly up to something. Let’s not take any chances.”
I grit my teeth, feeling the demon emerging.
He takes a step towards me.
“We’re going to have lots of fun,” he teases.
I look over my shoulder and see Perkins with the same expression on his face, while Baxter scoffs at me in disgust,
Fuck all of you.
They walk away and Duff leads me to the elevator at the end of the hall. At the top floor, there’s another group waiting for me.
“This is to make sure you don’t try any funny business,” Duff whispers in my ear.
Two soldiers grab me and drag me into a large all-white room.
Fuck!
All this fuckin’ white makes me think of fuckin’ Viper!
They strap me to a chair that looks like the kind of chair you see in a dentist’s office. Duff puts on some stupid-looking scientific glasses and stands behind a machine that looks like one of those water guns you see at county fairs. It almost makes me snicker.
“This nifty machine will launch a laser into your body that will literally extract the dark powers out of you. When I’m done, there will be no more evil demons corrupting our peaceful little town.”
I’m not evil, I’m a hero!
I’m only half demon!
I’m just as human as anyone else!
I want to scream all of this in protest. Instead, I just shut my eyes and pray for this to be over quickly. Duff and the asshole SWATs laugh like they’re the villains and I’m the hero. Yeah, right. Like I can be a hero. I'm a demon, that’s it. Suddenly, the evil voice that contaminated my brain before I met Melody consumes my thoughts again.
What’s the point of trying to be a normal human? It won’t solve anything.
No, it won’t. There’s no hope…
Would helping Viper with the prophecy really be all that bad?
I guess not. If I have to drown in darkness, everyone else does, too...
I mean, it… it’s my destiny.
It sure is…
In my mind, I see Viper standing in front of me, holding out his hand. Shadows of bleak darkness swirl around us.
“Zane, my son, join me. Be my demon prince and I will help you get revenge on these pathetic humans.”
“Yes, father…”
“Make them suffer as you have suffered…”
“Yes, father…”
“Together, we will be the most powerful beings in the universe!”
“Yes, father…”
Viper snaps his fingers and I wake up from my trance. I see the dark aura taking over me and I know I’m starting to transform. My vision turns black as my eyes darken. I touch my teeth with my tongue to find they have turned into pointy fangs. I taste blood. I look down and see the demonic markings develop on my arms. Duff and the SWATs look absolutely terrified. The laser is gaining power.
If these motherfuckers want a demon, I’ll give them a fucking demon.
“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!!!” I scream from the top of my lungs, just before the laser fires.
The dark shadows around me capture the laser’s energy and it disappears right before it hits me. I pull the straps holding me to the chair off my arms and legs and stomp towards Duff and the SWATs.
“What the hell?” they shout in unison.
The demon inside has completely overtaken me. I let out a deep, otherworldly growl as I shoot overpowering dark energy from my hands at them. The entire room starts to shake as glass breaks and the plaster floor cracks so hard and deep, shards may have fallen into the center of the Earth. Duff and the SWATs crash through the glass screen and into the hallway. I hear them groan and struggle to get up. I clench my hands into fists and see that they were still full of my demonic power, as if I hadn’t just used it. I smirk.
Who’s laughing now?
I step out of the room and see all of the SWATs running towards me.
Shoot him!” The leader of the SWAT Team orders.
As they shoot their assault rifles at me, I hold up my left hand to create a blanket of dark energy to block their shots. They all tremble in fear. Maybe they know what’s coming next. I form knives from my dark energy and throw them at the SWATs. They all fall on the ground, groaning in agony. I walk past them and toward the front door of the facility. Just as the SWATs who were guarding the door outside notice me and aim their assault rifles at me, I push my arms to the side and a strong wind blows them out of my way.
I stop abruptly as an intense pain shoots into my head and my heart.
“Ah, shit!” I howl as I fall to the ground, pulling my hair. Viper’s voice echoes in my ears.
“Come to me, Zane. We’re one step closer to achieving our goal.”
“Yes, father…”
I blindly follow his voice, not sure where I’m going. My feet seem to have a mind of their own.
Who am I kidding? I can’t be a regular human.
I don’t deserve happiness.
I don’t deserve Melody.
I don’t stop walking for a second, even when I think of Melody. Her gentleness, her beauty, her smile.
What a joke.
The darkness has completely overtaken the tiny bit of humanity that's in my heart. My destiny has always been to be Viper’s demon prince. That’s all I am put on this fucked-up world to be.
Chapter 10: Melody
“Oh, is that so, my dear? Well, you might want to take a look behind you.”
Jackie gulps and my skin tingles. We turn around, slowly and carefully. What I see makes me want to cry until I can't cry anymore. It’s Zane. He’s surrounded by shadows and darkness. His eyes are pitch black with absolutely no irises. His body has even more makrings than before.
No. He’s a complete demon now.
Viper flies over us and stands behind Zane, putting his hands on Zane’s shoulders.
“Zane, my boy! You finally accepted your destiny!” Viper beams.
“Yes, father,” Zane drawls in a deep, scary, demonic voice.
Pieces of my heart fall to my stomach, leaving me feeling nothing but fear and pain.
“No, Zane! Please, snap out of it! This isn’t you!” I cry out to him.
Zane waves his hand and a wall of dark, otherworldly fire spreads in front of me and Jackie.
Did he even hear what I said?
Was he really gone forever?
Viper laughs and pats Zane on the back. Then, they hold out their hands and a blanket of darkness covers the sky. It quickly spreads downward to the buildings, then lower to the streets. I am frozen in fear.
The prophecy was coming true.
We turn around when we hear police sirens approaching us. Officer Baxter jumps out of his squad car.
“Melody! Jackie! Come with me! I’ll get you to the storm shelter!”he shouts.
As Jackie and I run to his squad car, I see that Viper has a demonic grin on his face.
“Where do you think you’re going?” He taunts.
He snaps his fingers and Zane flies over me, then swoops down and grabs me.
I scream.
“Tell Zane to let Melody go, Viper!” Jackie shouts.
Officer Baxter grabs Jackie’s wrist as Viper flies towards them.
“Jackie, come on! We have to go!” He insists.
Jackie clenches her jaw, stifling a cry. They jump into the squad car and speed to the storm shelter.
Viper was flying behind them.
“Get back here! Nothing and no one can save you!” He shrieks.
Zane is crushing my body. My heart breaks as I see the nightmarish black color of his eyes. I don’t even try to hold back the tears. I cry painfully, tears of sorrow falling down my cheeks. He’s holding me even tighter. I’m sure that I will lose all of the air in my lungs within minutes.
Living without Zane would be worse than dying.
“Zane, please let me go! I still believe in you!” I yell.
He lets out a low, monstrous growl, and his grip on me loosens a little.
I need to keep believing in him.
“You’re a hero! You may not see it, but I do!” I call out.
His fangs slowly start to turn to normal teeth. This might be my last chance to save him. I needed to tell him how I feel.
Here goes nothing…
“I love you, Zane!” I cried.
I repeat it over and over, hoping it will get through to him. Since meeting Zane, all I’ve wanted is for him to be happy. We’ve both been through tragedy, but I choose to be happy and I want the same for him. Even if this is my last day alive, I still won’t give up on him.
You never give up on the people you love.
Chapter 11: Zane
The never-ending darkness has taken over my soul.
I’m nothing but a monster.
“I love you, Zane!”
My humanity has been destroyed by my inner demons.
I don’t deserve to be happy.
“I love you, Zane!”
Happiness isn’t for me.
I’m not…
“I love you, Zane!”
Wait, what the hell…
“I love you, Zane!”
Holy shit! Melody?!
My eyes shoot open and my head is throbbing, like someone has literally knocked me out of a nightmare.
Damn!
I look up and see that the sky is as dark and black as a bottomless chasm, with not a dot of light in sight. My eyes frantically look around me. An ominous mist covers the street. It’s slowly turning to the same hopeless black color as the sky.
What the hell is going on?
I realize that my arms are grabbing onto someone tightly and their arms are doing the same. My eyes slowly looked down and I saw her.
Melody.
“I love you, Zane!” She cries again.
It’s not a dream. She’s really saying it.
Melody loves me.
I hear her start to wheeze, like she’s losing her breath. I realize that I’m still crushing her body.
Oh my God!
I quickly let her go and she kneels on the ground, coughing and holding onto her chest. I take a knee in front of her.
“Melody! Melody! Are you okay?!” I panic.
She looks up at me and her eyes widen.
Was she still scared of me?
I feel normal. I don’t see any demon symbols on my body. I touch my teeth with my tongue and realize that they’re straight again. Before I can say another word, Melody wraps her arms around me and starts crying again. My heart is breaking.
“Zane! Oh my gosh! You’re okay!” She sobs.
I guess I’m back to normal after all.
And it's because of her.
I put my hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.
“Melody, did I do all of this?” I ask, my eyes wandering to the desolation of the city around us.
She freezes, not sure how to answer me at first. She sighs.
“Some of it, but it wasn’t your fault. You were under Viper’s control.”
Melody sniffles, and I wipe away her tears with my thumb.
“How did that happen, anyway? How did you turn into a complete demon?” She asks.
I swallow hard. I shudder as I think about my full transformation, but I know I need to tell Melody everything.
“Remember when I showed the kids my powers and I let the cops take me away?” I ask.
She nodded.
“I saw on the news that they took you to a scientific holding facility.”
I briefly close my eyes. I know I’m about to recall the time I gave up on being human.
“Yeah. They were about to do some experiment one me to physically extract the dark demon powers out of me.”
Melody gasps and covers her mouth. My body tenses.
“I remember my demon powers kicked in. They were at least a thousand times stronger than what you’ve seen before. I smashed through the facility and knocked all of the SWAT soldiers that were guarding the facility out of the way.”
“W-what do you mean your powers were at least a thousand times stronger than before?” She asks, her voice quivering like she knows what the answer is.
I try to keep my own voice steady.
“I...I had given up on being human. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t do anything right. I tried to forget about Viper and his prophecy, but I wasn’t strong enough to control the demon side of me. I had accepted my fate as his Demon Prince. There was no hope left for me.”
Melody gives me a sad smile, struggling not to cry again.
“Zane, we all have a choice to how we live our lives. Ever since I met you, I could tell that you weren’t a monster. You just needed someone to see you for who you really are.”
Without thinking twice, my hands are on her cheeks and kiss her softly. I hold her gently in my arms and feel every bit of darkness leave my body.
“I love you, Melody,” I whispered.
Chapter 12: Melody
I love you, Melody.
Those words echo in my ears again and again. They calm my racing heart. When I saw Zane in his complete demon form, obeying every word Viper said, I was terrified that he would never be okay. But now here he is, choosing to live and to not give up. I’m so happy for him. Then, I think about his kiss. I swear I could feel his pain disappear. No matter what happens, everything will be okay, as long as we are together.
Suddenly, I hear a loud banging noise. It sounds like an explosion. I jerk my head up to meet Zane’s eyes.
“Oh my gosh! What was that?!”
Zane squints his eyes as he looks down the street.
“I’m not sure. I can’t see from here.”
He takes my hand and helps me get to my feet. He looks at his hands and they have dark energy around them. He closes them into fists. My heart speeds up
. Was he going to transform and go back to the demon side of him?
Instead, Zane looks pretty much the same. This is the first time he hasn’t changed at all when his powers start developing.
“Melody, are you afraid of heights?” He asks.
I’m not sure what that had to do with the loud sound we just heard, but I answer anyway.
“Not really. Why?”
He narrows his eyes and holds me close.
“Hold on tight.”
Before I can ask what he means, he jumps high into the night sky. I yelp as we leave the ground. A thought makes my heart fly high, too: This looks like a scene from those superhero movies me and mom used to watch. I look up at Zane.
He’s amazing.
“Melody, look down there!” Zane shouts as he points down.
Dozens of police officers are in front of the storm shelter. They’re shooting at Viper, but to no avail. He throws them around, wraps them in dark energy and then throws them on the ground again. The sight almost makes me scream.
“Zane, we have to get down there!”
“Right! Keep holding onto me, Melody!”
Zane backs up and jumps from the sky to the ground. I close my eyes, praying that I won’t let go of him. He lands on his feet right behind Viper. The ground shakes a little, but not enough that Viper notices. My mind is spinning as I carefully get off him. It feels like the jump took five minutes but it probably only took five seconds. Viper is standing in front of the storm shelter’s front doors. All of the police officers, including Chief Perkins and Officer Baxter, are laying on the ground, struggling to stay alive. The squad cars are turned over and their headlights are shattered. Viper lets out a terrifying laugh as he blasts the door with dark energy.
“No one can stop me now! The entire world will drown in darkness and soon I will take over the entire universe!” He bellows.
Zane and I see the kids, their parents, Jackie and everyone else in the city crammed in the shelter like sardines. They’re all trembling in fear. I hear Zane growl angrily through his teeth.
“Hey, Viper!” He shouts.
Viper quickly turns around and gives us a sinister grin from ear to ear.
“Oh, look who it is! My son, Zane!”
His eyes meet mine and I hold Zane’s hand to keep from passing out.
“Oh my my! We meet again, miss…”
He licks his lips and my body trembles with fear.
“Melody…” He whispers mischievously.
I feel like I want to throw up after hearing him say my name. Viper doesn't seem to mind at all that Zane didn’t finish me off, like he thought Zane would. It seems like Viper can read my mind because he says:
“So, this worthless girl is still alive. No matter. She’ll soon be dead along with all the other wretched humans you call friends and family!” He exclaims as he points to everyone in the storm shelter.
I see that everyone is seconds away from crying and so am I.
Zane grinds his teeth so hard I think they might break.
“Screw you!” He snarls as he holds my hand tight.
“The love Melody and I have is way stronger than the demon blood in my veins! She showed me how to be happy, how to choose my own path! My destiny was never to be your Demon Prince; it was to be a hero!”
He looks over at me and smiles.
“I realize that now,” he whispers and I smile back.
Oh, my gosh. I love you, Zane.
Viper laughs so loud that it echoes throughout the street.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Zane! You are a demon, like me! Stop fooling yourself!”
Zane’s eyes narrow and he clenches his fist. Dark energy forms in them instantly.
“What do you say we test that?” Zane scoffs.
Viper smirks and lifts his arms. The sky went almost entirely pitch black. As scary as the clouds and fog were, they at least cast shadows over the sky and ground. Now, if not for Zane and Viper’s powers and the lights in the storm shelter,, it would be impossible to see anything.
“Melody, go in the storm shelter and hide with everyone,” Zane says before he jumps into the air.
“You’re going to wish you didn’t betray me! Prepare to die!” Viper cackles as he flies into the air behind Zane.
As I run towards the storm shelter as fast as I can, not looking back once, I know that the world will either be saved or destroyed. There is no middle ground. Zane’s strong words echo in my mind over and over again as I run:
The love Melody and I have is way stronger than the demon blood in my veins!
I hope that’s true.
Chapter 13: Zane
Before I met Melody, I thought my destiny was to help Viper conquer Earth and then the universe. I never wanted that but I felt I had no choice. Then I met Melody and she taught me that we have a choice on how we live our lives. She chose to be happy, and I did the same. I thought my powers were a curse, but now I realize I can use them to save people...and save the world. I’m high in the sky and Viper is right behind me. I shoot dark energy at him with my left hand and form a sword with the energy in my right hand.
“Take this, you bastard!” I yell as I attack.
Viper creates a whip out of dark energy and he hits me across the face with it before I can counter his attack. I scream as I crash to the ground, creating a big crack through the street.
“See? I told you! The human part of you has made you weak!” Viper taunts
Shut...the fuck...up.
He lifts his arms and creates a giant orb of demonic energy. I try to get up and move away but my body is so battered from falling on the ground that I can’t. I scream as the energy engulfs me. It feels like my heart is stopping. I can’t breathe and it feels like all of the blood and energy has drained from my body. I’m sure I’ll be dead in a few minutes.
“You’re a poor excuse for a demon and a human! You’re nothing! You can’t even stand up on your own two feet!” Viper laughs.
I’m struggling to get up but it feels like my body is dead, with no life to hold it together.
It feels like my soul is dead, too.
As I lay on the ground, struggling to keep my eyes open, seconds from death, I remember the nightmare I had on my birthday. The last thing I thought as Viper dragged my down into the depths of darkness was:
There’s nothing I can do to stop him.
Looks like I was right all along.
“Zane! Please get up!” I hear a voice scream in a distorted voice, like something from another dimension.
What the fuck?
“We all need you! I need you!” The voice screams again.
I lift my head and realize that Melody is screaming through a megaphone.
Melody.
The girl who gave me a reason to live, to keep fighting.
The girl I love.
I can’t believe I was so fucking stupid to give up that easily. I can’t let Melody, Jackie and everyone else die. I carefully, steadily get up, grind my teeth and clench my fists.
“Hey, Viper! Don’t forget about me! You're not finished with this pathetic human yet!” I roar at him, while he is still facing everyone.
He turns around and gives me an evil grin.
“Back for more, son? Very well!” He hollers.
He forms knives out of his power and throws them at me. I quickly release the dark energy from my hands to deflect the knives. Viper steps closer and closer to me, firing more knives as he goes. I need to get on the offensive if I have any chance of beating him. Then, I hear something that gives me the strength I need.
“Dark.Angel! Dark.Angel! Dark.Angel!”
Was that...chanting?
I glance to my right and see Melody directing everyone to chant my hero name. I smile.
Melody...you’re my hero.
I smirk at Viper, and for the first time since he came to Earth, his devilish smile disappears.
“And just what is so amusing, my boy? There’s no way you can beat me!” He spits out, like the thought of him losing was vile.
“Turn around, Viper,” I slyly tell him.
He swiftly turns his head to see everyone chanting. He growls in disgust.
“Now you see how strong us ‘weak and pathetic’ humans can be!”
While still deflecting Viper’s attack with my left hand, I use my right hand to form spikes with my powers and throw them at him. He steps back and groans in pain, causing the knives to vanish. Catching him off guard, I shoot a blast of dark energy at him, which causes him to fall back against one of the police cars he turned over. The sound of shattered glass and metal echoes through the air and I see everyone in the storm shelter cover their ears.
“Why, you little…” Viper groans as he staggers to his feet.
He lifts his hands over his head and thunderclouds begin to cover the sky. I know Viper’s gonna try to make lightning bolts come down, so I prepare to create a force field to protect everyone. However, Viper’s hands start to shake and he falls to the ground. The thunderclouds fade away and the sky starts to lose its nightmarish black color. It turns into a normal midnight color and Viper shouts loudly.
“What is happening?!” He yells.
I step toward him and step on his head. He coughs and demons leave his mouth, fading into the air.
“The darkness inside me is fading away,” I whisper with a mix of mischief and anger.
“That’s the source of your power. The more anger and sorrow I have, the stronger you become. Now that I’m happy, you’re weak as hell.”
Viper’s eyes went wide.
“But how can this be?”
I point at Melody and everyone.
“That girl and those people don’t see me as a monster. They believe in me. Thanks to them, I’ve realized that I’m more than just a pawn for you and your shitty prophecy.”
I turn to Melody and I give her a cocky smile. She nods at me, knowing exactly what I want her to do.
People in love tend to know how to read each other’s minds.
She turns to everyone and shouts through her megaphone:
“Ok, everybody! If we want Zane to defeat Viper once and for all, we need to awaken the hero inside of him! Everybody chant ‘Dark.Angel’ as loud as you can, as much as you can!” She directed.
This...girl...is...amazing.
“Dark.Angel! Dark.Angel! Dark.Angel!” Everyone chants, at least ten times louder than the first time.
I can feel Viper’s body going lighter and softer under me by the second. I feel a strong force in my hands. I look down and gasp. The dark energy emerging from them is so powerful that the dark shadows it created are spreading from my hands to my arms. I have never felt this kind of power before. It soon spread throughout my entire body, and began healing the bruises and lacerations on my body from earlier. I glared at Viper and gave him the kind of demonic smile he taunted me with earlier.
“You’re done, Viper,” I state smugly with a cocky grin on my face.
I grab him by the throat, toss him up into the air and use the energy in both of my hands to create two swords. I jump into the air and slash him quickly, over and over again. More demons are escaping his mouth and he’s looking more pale by the second.
Almost finished.
As he falls to the ground, I lift my hands over my head and start to form the kind of demonic orb he attacked me with earlier. It’s not as big and it may completely drain my demonic energy too, but it’ll be enough to finish him off for good.
“Dark.Angel! Dark.Angel! Dark.Angel!” Melody and the citizens continue to chant.
That’s all the encouragement I need.
“DIE, YOU ASSHOLE!!!” I scream from the top of my lungs as I throw the orb on him.
Before it hits him, I fly to the storm shelter. The kids are hugging their parents and Melody is holding Jackie’s hand.
“Zane, what is…” Melody starts to ask before I grab her face and kiss her.
“It’s okay. It’s almost over,” I whisper.
Just as she’s about to ask what I mean, I turn my head and see the orb about to hit Viper. I turn back around and see that the crowd is watching and they start to panic. The kids are crying and their parents are trying not to do the same. Jackie and Melody are folding their hands and closing their eyes.
“Everybody, lay down on your stomachs, cover your heads and ears and don’t come up until I tell you!” I direct like a drill sergeant.
They all immediately do and I use the last of my strength to create a force field around the entire storm shelter. A few seconds later, the orb hits Viper and he lets out a demonic, blood-curdling scream that sounds like every demon and monster from the demon world screaming at once. I growl as I hold the force field in place. The sound hurts my ears like a bitch and I wouldn’t be surprised if they start bleeding. To make matters worse, I don’t know how much longer I can hold the force field up before I pass out... or maybe even die. Still, as I look at everyone who believes in me--the kids, their parents, Jackie and my angel Melody--I know there’s nothing I can't do. I can hear Viper’s screams start to fade and I know he’s almost finished.
Just...a little...longer…
After what feels like an eternity, Viper’s screams start to fade until he’s just laying on the ground, moaning and wheezing. I let my hands fall to my sides and I fall to my knees. I check my hands to see if I have any dark energy left. Just barely, but enough to knock out Viper for good. I stagger to my feet and approach him. He looks damn disgusting with his face all wrinkled and dried up from a lack of demonic energy. There’s no way he could form that arrogant grin on his face now.
“Zane...you..will...always...be...my...demon...prince…” he wheezes out.
What a fucking joke.
“No, Viper. I’m not your son,” I tell him in a surprisingly calm voice.
“You’re not my father. You and your prophecy have failed. It’s over.”
I lift up my fists in the air with the last amount of dark energy I have and pound them down onto Viper’s chest. He coughs and one last demon leaves his mouth and disappears like smoke. His entire body starts to disintegrate: His hair, eyes, mouth, head, chest, arms and legs.
The dust left behind vanishes as if it was never there.
Good...fucking...riddance.
I fall to the ground, my energy completely drained. I hear screaming, crying and feet stomping. I lift my head, turn around and see Melody, Jackie and all of the citizens running toward me.
“Zane! Are you okay?!” Melody cries as she hugs me.
I slowly open my eyes. There she is, holding me, tears in her eyes. My heart beats faster than I can keep up with, so I decide to do the one thing I know will calm it down. I grab the back of her head, close my eyes and kiss her, deep and long. She squeals in surprise and I don’t give a damn that practically the whole city is watching us.
I need her.
I might die without her.
Suddenly, I hear a cough. I open my eyes and see Jackie standing next to us. She crosses her arms and smiles. Then, it dawns on me.
Shit! Melody and Jackie haven't met before Viper came. Plus, me and Melody were supposed to have our talk.
I pull back from Melody and nod towards Jackie.
“Melody, this is my aunt, Jackie. She…”
Jackie just shook her head.
“It’s okay, Zane. Melody and I have talked already. She knows everything about me…”
She pauses and her smile fades a little.
“About you…”
I blink several times.
Oh, no.
“You mean, Melody knows about me and Viper?” I ask Jackie.
She nods and her smile grows again. I narrow my eyes.
“So, that’s why you got all weird over the phone?”
“What can I say?” she says as she pats me on the back.
“I knew you were in love with her.”
My eyes widen.
“Seriously, Jackie? You knew that about, even then?”
“Sure did.” Her grin grows wider and she turns to Melody.
“A girl just knows,” she says and winks at Melody.
I turn to Melody, whose entire face is as red as a tomato.
“Listen, Melody. About everything that Jackie told you and everything that’s happened today, I…”
She interrupts me by giving me a hug and places her head on my chest. My heart calms to a steady beat.
She always knows how to put me at ease.
“It’s okay, Zane. I understand. You’re not your father. You’re not an evil monster. You’re a hero.”
I touch her cheek, my heart filling with so much love it might burst.
“You know, I remember what you said your mom told you: We should all do what we can to help other people, because you never know when you might be the angel they need.”
I pulled her in for a tight hug.
“I may be Dark.Angel, but you’re my angel, Melody,” I whisper in her ear.
I hear another cough clear through the air. I roll my eyes and smile.
“What is it now, Jackie?”
When I turn around, I see Perkins and Baxter standing in front of all of the townspeople. I scowl at them.
Talk about a fucking buzzkill.
“Chief, don’t you have something you want to say to Zane--I mean, Dark.Angel?” Baxter asks Perkins with a glare.
Perkins let out a deep sigh.
“Yes. Dark.Angel, I can’t apologize enough about how I treated you. Your aunt told me everything about you while you were fighting that demon. I was so scared of your powers that I was too blind to see that you were the hero this city needed.”
He reaches out his hand.
“Truce?” he asks with sorrow in his eyes.
I shake his hand and nod.
“Truce.”
If Melody can accept me and believe in me, then I can forgive Perkins for treating me like a monster.
“Are you sure you don’t need help carrying those?” I ask Melody as we walk to the afterschool center.
“No, I’m okay. Thank you, though,” she smiles.
Melody and I are having a pizza party with the kids to celebrate my big victory. She’s carrying four boxes herself. Just as she pulls out the key to the front door from her skirt pocket, I put my hand on her shoulder.
“What is it?” She asks.
“I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes.”
Melody closes her eyes. I look down and see dark energy developing in my hands. I form the energy into the shape of a rose.
“Okay. You can open your eyes.”
She gasps when she sees the rose in my hand. She jumps and nearly drops the pizzas.
“Okay Melody, I think I should carry the pizzas,” I laugh and hand her the rose.
“Oh my gosh, Zane! It’s beautiful!” She beams.
“Not as beautiful as you are,” I tell her I take the rose and tuck it behind her ear.
She closes her eyes briefly, then opens them and unlocks the front door. As usual, the kids all run up to us in two seconds flat. I put the pizzas on the tables of the "K4-1st Grade" and "2nd-4th grade" sections.
“What’s that, Miss Melody?” Sally asks, pointing to the rose.
“Zane made this for me,” she grins.
I nod and show the kids how I made the rose. They all jump up and down and cheer.
“We saw you two kiss after Zane beat that demon and now he made you a rose,” T.J. inquires.
“Are you boyfriend and girlfriend now?”
Melody immediately has that cute blush on her face. I wrap my arm around her shoulder.
“We sure are!” I proclaim with a big, goofy grin, and the kids cheer again.
When the parents come to pick up the kids, they thank me for protecting them.
“That’s just what us heroes do,” I say with a smile.
Melody looks up into my eyes after everyone leaves.
“I’m so proud of you, Zane. I knew you could do it,” she whispers.
I lift her chin and kiss her sweetly.
“There’s no way I could’ve beaten Viper without you Melody,” I whisper back.
“You gave me a reason to live. You’re amazing.”
She blushes and smiles at me.
I used to think my own purpose was to help Viper fulfill his prophecy and become his “Demon Prince” and that I had no choice. But, meeting Melody gave me the strength to choose my own destiny. Sure, being a “hero” wasn’t part of the plan, but I took it head on, because I can be her hero. As long as I’m with Melody, there’s nothing I can’t do.
The End
Dark.Angel(Jordan)
Dark.Angel
Chapter 1: Zane
There are a lot of people who don’t want to follow in their parents’ footsteps. I can understand that. My “father”--even though I don’t like to refer to him as that--is Viper, the king of the demon world. He met a human woman and she had me. Viper is planning to fulfill a prophecy that would allow him to take over the world by surrounding it in a never-ending veil of darkness. If the demon king and his son ever combined their powers after the son’s 17th birthday, it would be strong enough to take over the Earth.
He wanted me to be his “demon prince” and for my mom to be his “demon queen.” She refused, called her sister Jackie and told her all of this. Viper got furious and killed my mom when I was only three years old. Soon after, Jackie adopted me. She told me all of this when I was four. I’ve tried every day to keep Viper and his goddamn prophecy out of my mind and live a normal, human life. I’ve done pretty good so far...except that today is my 17th birthday. My body has been changing. I’ve started to develop dark, demonic powers that I can hardly control. A dark aura constantly surrounds me, and I can’t make it go away.
Last night, I had the worst nightmare ever. I was in a big, empty, pitch black space. It was making my head spin. Things got a whole lot worse when a shadowy figure emerged in front of me. He revealed himself to be Viper. He had spiky white hair and wore all white.
“Zane, my boy, why won’t you join me? Once we rule the Earth, the universe will be a breeze!” He exclaimed while spinning around in a circle.
“Screw that!” I snarled. “I want nothing to do with your evil plan! Mom didn’t, either! She didn’t deserve to die!”
I struggled to keep my tears from falling. No way was I gonna let this asshole see me cry. He growled and threw his arms in the air.
“Fine, Zane! You’re weak, just like those pathetic humans! The prophecy is inevitable! There’s nothing you can do to stop it! You can’t change your demon blood! Soon it will consume you, and when it does, you WILL help me conquer the earth!”
He raised his hand and hundreds of hands grabbed me and pulled me down into the darkness. I didn’t want to admit it, but deep down I knew he was right.
There’s nothing I can do to stop him.
“Zane! Zane, wake up!” Jackie shouts as she shakes me.
I shoot up in my bed, my heart beating so hard and fast I think it might explode out of my chest.
“Shit!” I growl through my teeth.
“Sweetie, it was a bad dream,” Jackie whispers as she rubs my back.
After what feels like forever, air finally returns to my lungs.
“What was your nightmare about?” She asks.
I want to snap, “Why would you ask that?” since she knows about Viper, my mom, everything.
Instead, I simply say:
“I don’t wanna talk about it.”
“I understand. I’ll go get breakfast ready.”
She gets up and leaves my bedroom. I don’t like talking about my problems. It won’t change the fact that my father is a monster and I have demon blood coursing through my veins. Maybe going to school will take my mind off of the nightmare.
Oh, how wrong I would be.
As I walk the hallways at school, I keep my head down. I’m doing everything I can to not draw attention to myself. After my nightmare, I know the smallest thing could tick me off and send me spiraling into darkness. My head is still down and I bump into a guy wearing a football jersey.
“Watch where you’re going, loser!” He shouts.
I look up. He puffs out his chest, and it almost makes me want to laugh.
“Whatever,” I mutter.
He grabs me by the shirt collar and knocks me against a locker.
“What did you say?!” He yells.
I look around and see a crowd starting to form around us.
I’m about to lose it.
Regular people would get into a fight right now. I’m close to unleashing the demon inside me and ripping this dude apart, piece by piece.
“I’m sorry,” I breathe out.
He lets me go.
“Just don’t let it happen again,” he scoffs before walking away.
The school day is over and my anger is reaching a breaking point. First the nightmare, then that dumbass jock?
I can’t take this anymore.
I lean against a tree, far from school. I pull at my long, glistening, midnight blue hair, grasping onto the long strands as I try to center myself. Emotions are attacking me like a million little wasps trying to poison me. I can feel the darkness inside me filling every corner of my being. Soon, I’ll be nothing but a black hole. No light can penetrate my dark heart. I swear, I can even feel my dark blue eyes turn to pitch black. Then, dangerous thoughts echo in my head.
What’s the point of trying to be a normal human? It won’t solve anything.
“Stop it,” I groan.
“Would helping Viper with the prophecy really be all that bad?
“Stop it!” I yell.
I mean, it--
“STOP IT!” I scream.
There’s no hope left for me.
Chapter 2: Melody
The school bell rings and I exit my chemistry class, the last period of the day. As I grab my books and put them in my backpack, I hear some girls talking outside of the door.
“Did you hear what happened earlier today in the hallway?” One of them asks.
“No. What?”
“There was almost a fight between the quarterback and that dark, scary guy.”
Dark, scary guy? Who is that?
“He had dark blue hair, dark blue eyes, and wore all black. Someone said he had an evil look in his eyes.”
One of the other girls scoffed.
“Yeah, right. That’s crazy.”
I think about this for a minute. Whoever this guy was, I felt bad for him.
Everybody is going through something.
That’s what my mom used to say. Nobody knows that more than me.
I reach into my backpack and take out a picture of my mother.
“Hi, Mom,” I say as I smile at the picture.
My eyes start to get watery as I look at her wide, bright smile.
“Another school day finished. I passed that History test. I’m proud that all the hard work I put into studying paid off.”
I smile. I’ve learned that everyone has struggles in their life and there’s not much we can do about it. All we can do is keep living.
My father passed away from cancer when I was three years old, so I never really knew him. For 13 years, it was just me and my mom. She was my best friend. I know it’s silly for a teenager to say that about their mom, but it’s true. Last year, when I was 16, she passed away in an accident. The landlord of the apartment we lived in heard what happened and let me keep living there for free until I graduate from high school. I felt guilty not paying rent like everyone else, so I insisted that I find a job. I’ve been working at an afterschool center a few blocks from my high school ever since. I miss my mom every day, but I’m still happy for all the memories we had. That’s why I carry a picture of her and talk to it. We all have to make a choice when faced with tragedies, and I choose to be happy.
As I turn the corner towards the afterschool center, I hear something that makes my heart jump.
“No.”
Someone is groaning. Who can that be?
“No!
What? They’re yelling now?
“NO!”
Oh my gosh! Now they’re screaming in pain!
I turn around and see someone leaning against a tree in the opposite direction of the school. As I step closer, my breath hitches. This is the guy that those girls were talking about. I can’t see his face but I notice that he’s pulling his hair and sounding like he’s growling. Maybe he’s angry about something. If he is, I don’t want to irritate him more, but I can’t just stand here. My mom’s words echo in my mind:
“Everybody is going through something.”
She’s right. I have to find a way to help him.
“U-Um, excuse me? Are you alright?” I ask him, my voice shaking.
He looks at me and my skin tingles. He really does have dark blue eyes, as dark as the night sky.
“I’m fine,” he wheezes.
“Are you sure? Should I take you into the school so you can see the nurse? Or I could even call 911 for you.”
I try to ease the panic building inside me. If this guy really is in pain and needs help, I have to remain calm.
“No, really, I just…” He trails off.
Now, I’m seeing something that can’t possibly be real.
His eyes start to change from dark blue to pitch black, like when you sleep in your bedroom and there isn’t the smallest bit of light. His clenched teeth are turning into pointy, sharp fangs, scary markings appear on his body that look like skulls, dragons and gargoyles, and he's being engulfed by dark shadows. I take a step back, gasp and cover my mouth with my hands, holding back a scream. I feel like I’m in 100 terrifying horror movie scenes at once.
What was happening?
I panic, thinking he’s about to attack me. Instead, he lets out a loud, painful scream and falls to the ground. He's pulling on his hair with one hand and clutching his chest with the other.
“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?!” I cry out.
Without thinking, I tug on the front of his shirt and turn him completely on his back. I look directly into his eyes. They still have a nightmarish black color.
“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay," I whisper.
I know I’m crazy for what I’m doing. This guy is a stranger and I had just seen him change into...well, I’m not really sure. But I don’t care; no one deserves to be in that much pain. I kneel on the ground next to him, my hand laying on top of his chest. His heart rate is starting to slow down and his breathing is calming. His teeth are straightening, the marks are disappearing and his eyes are returning to their stormy, dark blue color. He sits up and puts his hands on his knees. He slowly looks up and into my eyes. Somehow, it feels like he’s looking directly into my heart.
“Who...Who are you?” he whispers.
“I’m Melody. We go to the same school," I tell him.
His eyes go wide.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah,” I giggle nervously.
“Small world, huh? I heard you saying ‘No’ over and over, and it got worse and I just…”
I swallow hard, feeling my eyes get watery.
“I just had to find a way to help you.”
He groans as he gets into a sitting position.
“But you don’t know me and you just saw…”
I shrug.
“I know, but my mom used to tell me that we should all do what we can to help other people, because you never know when you might be the angel they need.”
He’s just staring at me now.
Nice, Melody. He thinks you’re weird.
I start to ramble and laugh nervously.
“You know what? Forget I said anything. I don’t really know what I’m talking about.”
He shakes his head.
“It’s fine. Actually, I think that’s exactly what I needed to hear today.”
My heart feels like it’s sprouting wings and starting to soar.
“What’s your name?” I ask.
“It’s Zane,” he replies.
Zane. What a cool name.
He suddenly looks away from me
“Listen, Melody…”
My breath hitches after hearing him say my name for the first time.
“It’s not that I’m not grateful to you for helping me, but you saw what I turned into. I’m dangerous. It’s best if you stay away from me.”
I look down at the ground. I know he's right. Still, something inside me won’t listen. I look back up at him.
“But, you were in so much pain. Maybe I could…”
He slowly stands up and now I can see his full body for the first time. He’s incredibly tall with muscles bulging from his arms, chest and legs. I’m feeling things I had never felt for a guy before and I have no idea why.
“Trust me, Melody. It’s for the best. The last thing I want to do is hurt someone,” he whispers.
He slowly walks away. For the next few minutes, as I walk to the afterschool center, my mind starts reeling over what just happened. I pinch myself several times.
Wow, that really wasn’t a dream.
Chapter 3: Zane
I feel like the biggest asshole in the world as I walk away from Melody. I really did mean it when I thanked her for helping me. If she hadn’t been there, I would’ve gone full demon. I could never let that happen, because there would be no going back. Actually, it was kinda bizarre that despite how obviously scared she was of me, all she cared about was helping me. A complete stranger.
A monster.
Out of nowhere, I remember what she said her mom told her: “We should all do what we can to help other people because you never know when you might be the angel they need.”
This girl had been my angel.
I shake my head. It doesn't matter, anyway. I’m not good with people. She had already seen what I was like. It was gonna be hard for us to stay away from each other since we went to the same school.
I can’t wait to get home.
Jackie is waiting at the front door of her house.
“Hi, Zane!” She calls sweetly while waving. Her short, chestnut brown hair is blowing in the wind. Her green blouse and blue pants match the wardrobe my mom has in a picture of her. I shut my eyes. Every time I think about my mom, I feel sick.
“Hi, Jackie,” I respond with a glum look on my face. Her smile quickly fades.
“What’s wrong, honey?” I shake my head.
“It’s happened,” I whisper.
A pained look develops on Jackie’s face. “Oh, dear. Come sit down, Zane,” she says, gesturing to my bedroom. I sit on my bed and she sits on a black chair by my desk. My heart, mind and body feel as heavy as lead. A deep, weathered breath leaves my lungs.
“At school, I accidentally bumped into this jock douchebag. He got in my face and wanted to fight. I knew I would completely lose it if I did, so I just apologized and he walked away.”
I’m struggling to keep my breathing calm as I continue.
“After school, I was so angry. I don’t know how I can keep this demon from emerging, and...I just…”
“Started to mutate?” Jackie finishes, her voice quivering.
The room was silent for a few seconds.
Suddenly, Jackie’s eyes start to widen and she turns to look at me. “Wait, Zane. You said you started to mutate. That means that something made you stop. What was it?”
My heart beats faster when I think of Melody, even though it shouldn’t. She was clearly scared of me and yet she still calmed me down. That smile.
Damn it!
“This girl from school heard me screaming and ran to me. She saw me start to change and…”
“She what?!” Jackie yells as she shoots up from her seat.
“Jackie, can I finish?” I groan.
“Sorry,” she says as she settles back into the chair.
“So, even though I could tell how scared she was, she just wanted to help me. Without realizing it, I started to calm down and turned back to normal.”
“Zane, I think this girl is what you’ve been looking for,” Jackie said, her eyes sparkling. My skin tingled.
“What do you mean?” I asked, clearly puzzled.
“Think about it. The demon part of you starts to take over when you’re angry or afraid, but this girl calmed you down.”
I can’t argue with that. Seriously, what is it about Melody that makes me forget about my fucked-up family? Her eyes? Her smile? The way she just wants me to be happy?
That’s all I’ve ever wanted.
Then, I groan loudly.
“It doesn’t matter. I told her to stay away from me. It’s for the best because if I ever hurt someone, I really will become a complete demon.”
Jackie sighs softly and gets up from her seat.
“Don’t give up, Zane. You’re not your father. If your powers ever do develop, you can use them to help people, not hurt them.”
She quietly leaves my bedroom and closes the door. I fall back on my bed and rub my eyes.
Yeah, right. I’m a monster, not a fucking hero.
The next school day flies by. I haven’t run into Melody, which is a good thing. Being around me would only put her in danger. I stop in my tracks.
Why can’t I stop thinking about her?
Yeah, she helped me, but that was it. She’s just another ordinary girl.
Get her out of your head already, Zane!
I decide to go to the pizzeria down the street from school to clear my head. I call Jackie to tell her I would be home late. She’s getting ready to go to a casino to celebrate a friend’s birthday and staying at a hotel overnight, so she won’t be home until the next morning. I pass by an afterschool center on my way to the pizzeria.
Huh. Never noticed that before.
I pushed open the doors of the pizzeria. Since my mind is still reeling from not being able to stop thinking about Melody, I’m not paying attention to where I was going. Next thing I know, a box of pizza is flying through the air. Out of reflex, I catch it like a running back.
When I look up I see a small group of kids, between the ages of 4 and 10, cheering.
“Did you see that, Miss Melody!” one of the little girls exclaims.
Miss Melody? Oh, hell…
Sure enough, I look to the left and see Melody smiling from ear to ear. Her long, dark brown hair matches her chocolate-colored eyes. She’s wearing a light purple dress and a tan skirt. She looks like a princess.
Damn, this girl sure is pretty up close. Damn, I sure am an idiot!
“Hi, Zane. It’s, um, nice to see you again,” she says as she looks into my eyes.
Her voice is shaky and she quickly looks down. Oh, right. I told her to stay away from me. She probably thinks I’m annoyed. Maybe I am, just a little. Not with her, but with the world for putting her in danger by being around me.
“Yeah, sure,” I say dismissively while handing her the pizza box.
I glanced at the kids who were still looking at me wide-eyed, like I had just saved Melody’s life.
“So, what’s the deal with the kids?” I ask.
“I work at the afterschool center between this pizzeria and our school. I brought them here for some dinner, then I’ll bring them back to the center and their parents will pick them up,” she explains.
Great. Now I’ve put these kids and Melody in danger.
Out of nowhere, I hear a woman scream. Melody, the kids, and I immediately turn to a cashier whose name tag reads Katy. A robber has a gun to her head.
“Listen up, folks! Unless you don’t want this bitch’s death on your conscience, you won’t move an inch while she gives me all of the cash in this dump!” He shouts.
Katy slowly turns around and sees her coworkers and boss, white as ghosts. I see her whisper “I’m sorry” to them as she opens every cash register and dumps the money into the robber’s bag.
All of Melody’s kids started to cry. Still holding Katy’s left wrist, the robber drags her as he stomps over to our table.
“Shut the hell up, you little brats!” He yells.
Suddenly, he gets a wicked grin on his face. His eyebrows rise in excitement and his mouth spreads wide.
“Unless you wanna die.”
My teeth are clenching and I can feel the demon rising inside of me. The robber then pointed the gun at Melody.
“Maybe I should kill your little babysitter instead,” he smirks.
“NO!” She screamed.
I don't know what’s happening, but my demon side is starting to take over, like when Melody and I first met. The robber and Katy are gasping. The kids are crying even louder. “Oh,no” Melody. whispers . She thinks she knows what’s going to happen next, but it’s actually gonna be a whole lot worse than when we met. I look up and see the dark aura circling around me like a hurricane. I look down and see that a strong, black energy has formed in my hands. I give the robber a striking glare.
“Who are you, a wannabe magician?” He scoffs, then he laughs, “Or are you a wannabe hero?”
Maybe Jackie was right. Maybe I could use my powers to help people...like a hero.
Without saying another word I let out a guttural growl, point my open palms at the robber and shoot dark energy at him. Before he has a chance to react, I force the energy into a hundred needles that lacerated his whole body. He screams and lets Katy go as he knocks into a glass wall and falls to the floor. As much as I try to get myself under control, I know I’m not back to normal when I see my reflection in the shards of broken glass. My eyes are still almost completely black, my teeth still have sharp fangs and the demonic markings are still on my arms. I clench my hands into fists, the dark energy still visible all around them.
Fuck!
This is the first time I’ve seen myself in the middle of my true form. I slowly turn around and see the terrified looks on everyone’s faces... except Melody. She’s actually moving toward me and takes my hands in hers. I know she can tell that they’re shaking.
“Zane, it’s okay,” she whispers.
My body almost instantly returns to normal. The dark energy in my hands quickly fades away. Instead of thanking her, I pull my hands away and run out of the pizzeria.
Hero? More like a fucking coward.
Chapter 4: Melody
I’m in total shock and it feels like my body is frozen. Not only did I see Zane transform for the second time, but now other people had seen it, too. Everyone in the pizzeria is as speechless as I am. We’ve just seen Zane unleash some kind of dark power on the robber. Not only am I shaken by what just happened, but I’m also confused.
Why did Zane run out of the pizzeria? Why does he keep saying I should stay away from him when he just used his power to save all of our lives?
I don’t even have a chance to dwell on these thoughts as I hear sirens nearby. Several police cars pull up to the pizzeria. It quickly dawns on me that this was probably why Zane ran away. He must have known that police would find out about the robbery. Even though he saved everyone, the officers would probably consider him more of a threat than the robber and arrest him, too. I see some of the officers escort the robber out of the pizzeria. He’s unconscious, but still alive.
I tell the officers the phone numbers of the kids’ parents. Later, they arrive and thank me for protecting the kids. There is no way I can tell them about Zane. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t believe me, anyway. An older officer with a name tag that reads Chief Perkins is asking Katy a barrage of questions. My heart sinks for her. She’s just had the most traumatic experience of her life, and now she has to relive it. Then again, I’m glad I’m not being questioned. I mean, the robber had pointed his gun at me, too. My mind is wandering to Zane again as I think about how his power emerged when the robber threatened me instead of Katy. I sigh and shake my head.
I shouldn’t be thinking about that. It’s not like he likes me or anything.
“So, tell me, Katy. How did the suspect end up against the wall?” Chief Perkins asks her.
Oh, no. I know where this is going.
Is she going to tell the truth? If she does, will they believe her? After taking a deep
breath she replies,
“There was a highschool girl who had a group of children with her. When they started to cry, the suspect dragged me to their table and pointed his gun at her.”
Another officer looks at me and walks over. His name tag reads Officer Baxter. My heart is beating faster by the second.
“Miss, would you be willing to answer a few questions about what happened today?” He asks. “It would really help with our investigation.”
He’s younger than Chief Perkins and seems more patient and friendly. I look up at him.
“Okay.”
His first few questions are harmless enough: Why did I have the kids with me, why I brought them to the pizzeria. I’m not paying much attention to Chief Perkins and Katy, until I hear her say the words “highschool boy,” “transform” and “dark power.” I gasp. Both of them glance at me.
“What is it?” Officer Baxter asks.
I can’t tell them I know Zane. He’ll be so mad at me. But what if the officers find out I did know him and that I lied? I decide that I will do whatever I can to protect him.
“Well, um, I saw the same thing that she did. I know it’s hard to believe, but it happened.”
My eyes move frantically between Chief Perkins and Officer Baxter. I’m praying that they won’t see through me. Officer Baxter smiles at me, and I relax a little.
“Well, then, it’s good that we have more than one witness. It will make getting the robber convicted much easier.”
Officer Perkins does not look convinced. “Baxter, look through the security camera. I want to see this ‘power’ for myself.”
Officer Baxter stands on a chair to reach the security camera on the ceiling. He pulls out a camcorder from his bag and connects it with the security camera. After a minute, a black and white video develops of the robber walking towards me and the kids while still holding Katy. Everything that happened earlier played on the video: Zane changing before our very eyes and making scary growling sounds, attacking the robber with his dark powers, me walking over to comfort him and then him running out of the pizzeria. The video stops abruptly.
“What the hell?!” Chief Perkins shouts.
“Oh my God!” exclaims Officer Baxter.
“See? I told you I wasn’t making it up!” Katy yells.
Then, Chief Perkins says something that terrified me, “That young man is a monster.”
I swear, I can feel my heart start to break.
“Now, hold on, Chief,” Officer Baxter says. “Yes, if what we saw is real, then this kid could be dangerous. But, he did just save several people from being killed.”
“That’s right!” I blurt before I can stop myself. I will do anything to convince everyone that Zane is not a monster, including Zane himself. “If he really was a monster, he wouldn’t have done what he did. If you ask me, he’s a hero.”
My eyes move to Katy and she gives me a small smile. She feels the same way I do. Car engines rev near the pizzeria. We all turn around and see several news vans approaching.
“Baxter, take these young ladies home. We can deal with the press,” Chief Perkins directs.
Officer Baxter nods and then turns to me and Katy. “Come on, girls,” he says.
I give Officer Baxter the address to my apartment. Katy says he can drop her off at her house later. While Katy and I ride in Officer Baxter’s police car, I can’t stop thinking how unfair it is that Chief Perkins called Zane a monster. “What will the police do about...that guy?” I ask Officer Baxter, making sure I don’t use Zane’s name.
“Honestly, even though that kid thwarted a crime, he’s clearly a threat. We’ll have to keep an eye out for him,” he replies.
“That’s not fair!” Katy shouts. “We would be dead without him and you’re acting like he was the one who robbed the place and almost killed us!”
He lets out a deep sigh. “Listen, girls. I agree with you about him. But, with powers like that, he could be unstable and a bigger danger to everyone.”
I have to agree with that, even though I don’t want to.
“If he keeps helping people like this, we’ll back off our surveillance on him. If he ends up putting someone in danger, we’ll have to take drastic measures.”
I swallow hard.
What does that mean?
The police car pulls up to my apartment. As I step out of the car, I glance over my shoulder. Katy has a frustrated look on her face. I take my house key out of my skirt pocket and unlock the door. My bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room are pretty small but I don’t mind. I’m working and I’m on my own. I’m sure my mom would be proud of me for staying so positive after she passed away. I wonder if she would also be proud of how protective I am of Zane.
There I go, thinking about him again.
I sit on my bed and take out my picture of her. “Hi, mom,” I say softly, my hands shaking. “I barely know Zane and I know what he’s capable of, but I still believe he’s a good person. What do you think?”
I remember what my mom told me about helping other people and being their angel. I told Zane this when we met. I suddenly smile more genuinely at the picture.
“You’re right, mom. Zane was my angel, Katy’s angel, and the kids’ angel today. Officer Perkins may not see him that way, Zane may not even see himself that way, but I do.” I hold the picture to my chest. I wish I could hold Zane and tell him how special he is to me.
Chapter 5: Zane
My mind is spinning as I barge into my bedroom.
What the fuck was wrong with me?
I took Jackie’s advice to be a “hero,” saved a bunch of people from an armed robber and what did I do? I hightailed it out of there without another word, like I was the criminal!
Fuck! Why did I run away?
Maybe it was seeing my reflection in all that broken glass. It reminded me of how I have this demon blood mixed with my human blood and there’s nothing I can do to change it. My breathing starts to calm when I think about Melody again. The two times I’ve shifted and came close to losing it, she calmed me down. The way she held my hand, told me everything would be okay and saw me as that hero instead of a demon was what I needed to hear. I punch my pillow when I think about how I ran away.
I’m going to hurt everyone eventually...including her. I just don't know when.
The next morning, the alarm clock feels like a jackhammer into my skull. My mind is still spinning from what happened yesterday. I groan as I sit up and rub my eyes. I walk to the kitchen and make myself some breakfast. When I turn on the TV, what I see on the morning news takes my breath away.
“Yesterday, police arrived at the aftermath of an attempted robbery at a local pizzeria,” the news anchorman reports, his monotonous voice droning through the speakers. “He held a female employee at gunpoint. Eyewitnesses also say he also pointed the gun at a high school girl who was supervising a group of young children, ages ranging from four to ten years old.”
I lean against the kitchen table, trying to calm my racing heart. I know where this is going.
Melody.
I look up and see the chief of police talking to a reporter. “On our surveillance camera, we discovered that a young man with some kind of dark powers wounded the suspect. While we are grateful that he saved several lives, we still consider him very dangerous.”
You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me! Talk about ungrateful.
He continues. “We will maintain surveillance for him rigorously in the coming days. If he continues to help and protect our citizens, we will eventually lift our surveillance on him. However, if we identify any sign of him being a threat to the public, we will capture him by any means necessary.”
I turn off the TV. I am beyond pissed off.
I take Jackie’s stupid advice to save people and this is the thanks I get?!
As I walk down the school hallways, I keep my head down and my hands in my pockets, just like always. Usually I can stay anonymous, but that seems impossible today.
I hear whispers like:
“Is that the guy who saved a bunch of people at that pizzeria?”
“I think so. I heard he’s got some kind of dark powers. That’s super cool!”
But, I also hear whispers like:
“That guy scares me.”
“Yeah. Maybe it would be best if the police locked him up.”
It’s lunchtime now, and I’m praying that everyone will just leave me the hell alone, for their own safety.
“Zane!” I hear a high voice call out. I look up and see Melody walking toward me. My heartbeat is accelerating. I hope she doesn’t think I was a douchebag for running out of the pizzeria, like a bat out of hell.
“Um...is it okay if I sit next to you?” she asks, clearly nervous.
“Sure,” I say simply.
Her mouth spreads into a wide, beautiful smile. For the first time since I met her, I smile back. Melody sat next to me and most of the darkness in my chest fades away.. But, I still feel terrible about yesterday.
“Melody, I’m sorry about yesterday. I was just so overwhelmed by everything. Having everyone, including those kids, see me mutuate, seeing my scary powers, and seeing myself. I know it’s no excuse for running away, especially after you told me everything would be okay, but…”
Suddenly, Melody wraps her arms around me, pulling me in for a big hug. She feels so warm and the darkness inside me immediately disappears. I’ve never felt this way before. She pulls back. Her eyes are watery, but she’s still smiling.
“It’s okay, Zane. I understand. I can’t imagine how hard it was for you.”
Forget about me. You’re the one that had a gun pointed at you.
“I saw the morning news. It made me really sad because Chief Perkins made it seem like you had some kind of ulterior motive. I know that’s not true. You saved everyone. You really were a hero.” Then, Melody said something that almost broke my heart.
“I just wish you would see yourself the way I do.” I look down at the floor.
“Me too,” I whisper.
A hurricane of emotions begins to spin inside of me. Now that Melody has seen my powers develop and part of my true form, I can’t hide who I really am from her anymore. I let out a deep breath and ask her:
“Melody, do you want to come to my house tomorrow after you’re done watching those kids? I’ll pick you up from there and we can walk to my house together. There’s something I need to talk to you about.” The nervous look on her face already made me regret asking her, but I couldn’t back out now. I put my hand on her shoulder. “I like you, Melody. You’re the first real friend I’ve ever had. But, if we’re going to keep hanging out, you need to know everything about me.”
She sat there silent for a minute.
“O-oh, okay,” she said with a shaky voice. She reaches into her skirt pocket.
“I’ll make a memo of it on my phone.” When she tries to pull her phone out, a piece of paper falls on the floor. “Oh, no! I’m sorry, Mom!” She panics.
Mom? What the hell?
She picks it up. The picture is of a woman with short, reddish-brown hair and a big grin on her face.
“Who’s that?” I ask, even though I’m pretty sure who it is.
“This is my mom. She was my best friend.” She glances down at the picture again, then briefly closes her eyes. “No. She is my best friend.” She looks back at me. “My mom passed away in an accident last year.” My heart is breaking for her. “Oh my God, Melody. I’m so sorry,” I whisper.
Even though I never really knew my mom, I still miss her every day. At least Melody has memories of her mom to hold onto.
Instead of bursting into tears, she gave me a huge smile, just like her mom in the photo.
“It’s okay. She’s still here with me.” She smiled down at the picture. “Isn’t that right, Mom?”
I smile.
Damn, this girl is amazing.
The school day is over. Melody waves at me with that angelic smile of hers as she walks to the afterschool center. Suddenly, I hear my phone ring. I take it out and see Jackie’s name on the caller ID. I answer it.
“Hi, Jackie.”
“Zane, sweetie. How are you doing? Are you okay?” she asks, concern palpable in her voice.
“Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?” I reply, clearly confused.
“Well, I just got home from the casino this morning and I saw you on the news,” she explains.
“Oh, right. That,” I groan.
“You didn’t… lose control, did you?” she asks worriedly.
“No. I was fine.”
I might have lost control if Melody wasn’t there.
“Jackie, can I bring a friend over tomorrow?”
“Sure. Who is that?”
“Her name’s Melody. She works at an afterschool center right down the block from the highschool. She’ll come over when the parents pick up the kids.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
Shit! Was Jackie gonna say no? I’ve never had anyone over before, let alone a girl.
“Zane, you’re going to tell this girl all about you, aren’t you?” She whispers.
“Yeah. She deserves to know everything. And...she’s really special to me.”
Suddenly, Jackie’s tone does a total 180. I can practically hear her smile.
“Okay then. I’ll make some food for you guys. See you when you get home.” She hangs up her phone before I can respond.
What...the hell…was that about?
Chapter 6: Melody
As I watch Zane walk away from the school, I feel a mix of excitement and fear. I’m excited because I’m going to Zane’s house and getting to know more about him now that we’ve become friends. However, I’m also a little scared because I know what he has to tell me has to do with his...abilities. I sigh and take out the picture of my mom. I remember that Zane didn’t think I was weird when I told him that I talked to a picture of my mom. Actually, he liked it. He even smiled for the first time since we met. A warm feeling is developing in my chest and my nerves disappear.
“Hi, Mom,” I said. “I don't know what Zane has to tell me, but whatever it is, I can handle it. Since I’ve met him, I’ve just wanted to see him happy. So I’m going to stay positive about this. Love you.”
I hug the picture and put it in my skirt pocket. As I walk toward the afterschool center. butterflies start going haywire in my stomach after I remember what I confessed to Mom.
Since I’ve met him, I’ve just wanted to see him happy.
Is Zane really just a friend or something...more? As soon as the kids see me, they jump on me. I laugh and hug them.
Some things never change.
“Miss Melody, the guy who saved us at the pizza place was on the news this morning. Do you know him?” asks T.J., one of the oldest boys.
My body is frozen. I’m not sure how to answer that. I remember my mom told me that honesty is always the best policy.
Zane would be honest to me about everything during our talk.
I take a deep breath. “Yes. We go to the same high school.”
All the kids cheer and jump up and down. Sally, one of the youngest girls, tugs on my shirt. “Can he come over sometime, Miss Melody? Pleeeeease?”
.“You really want to meet him?” I ask.
“Yeah! He’s a hero!” T.J. shouts. I grin.
Can’t argue with that.
“He used his awesome powers to stop that robber! He’s so cool!”
I wonder what Zane would think if I ask him to meet the kids. He doesn’t really seem like a “kids” person. Then again, it will be great to show him that I’m not the only one who sees him as a hero.
“Okay. I’ll ask him to come over.”
All the kids started jumping on me again. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard.
Seeing the kids happy will make Zane happy...and make what he has to tell me easier to swallow.
Chapter 7: Zane
I'm beyond tense as I walk down the school hallway. I have no idea how Melody is going to react to my confession. Two voices in my head are battling each other for dominance. There’s the smaller, more optimistic voice in my head that believes that Melody can take anything I tell her. After all, she’s already partially seen the demonic side of me and has accepted it. Then, there’s the bigger, more logical voice that believes that no normal person could possibly be okay with who I really am. If Melody runs away, like she should, it will be for the best. Then again, Melody isn’t exactly normal. I mean, who is that happy all the time, seriously? Actually, it’s kind of cute.
Damn it!
Just like yesterday, I hear the same whispers down the hallway, some positive and some negative. I’m doing my best to ignore them, even the positive ones because they made me think of Melody. My mind is stuck in worst case scenario mode because there is no way she could accept the real me, despite what she’s already seen. I hear a high, sweet voice near me.
“Excuse me, have you seen Zane?”
I know that it’s Melody. I turn around and see another girl pointing near me.
“Oh, there you are!” She chirps as she walks toward me. I smile, even as I hear the big, logical voice echo,
“Don’t get too comfortable, idiot! You might make her cry after the talk.”
Maybe, but seeing her in front of me right now, smiling like an angel, I don’t fucking care.
“Hey. What’s up?”
Melody is still smiling but I can tell she’s suddenly nervous about something.
“Um, Zane, I was wondering if we could do something before we go to your house?”
“What’s that?”
“Well, the kids at the afterschool center want you to visit them.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Really? Why?”
“They think you’re a really cool hero,” she giggles
God, I love it when she does that.
I laugh for the first time in years. Literally, years.
“They do, huh?”
Melody’s cheeks are turning red. I put my hand on her shoulder.
“Sure, Melody. It’ll be great to know that you’re not the only one who believes in me.”
Melody gives me a big hug.
Always full of surprises.
“Thank you so much! The kids will be so happy!”
You make me so happy.
Even though it’s impossible for me to not think about the talk, I’ve decided to enjoy this moment. I want to see the kids be excited to meet a hero. I’m far from being a hero--if they only knew who I really am--but I don't mind pretending. As I knock on the front door, I hear a cluster of cheers from the kids. I smile to myself..
Maybe this would be fun after all.
Melody opens the door.
“Hi, Zane! Thank you so much for coming!” She greets me with a wide grin.
I smile and ruffle her hair as I walk in. “No problem.”
I glance around the room. In one half there there is a small blue table, building blocks and stuffed animals, and a sign that reads, “K-1st Grade.” In the other half there is a bigger green table, board games and playing cards, and a sign that reads, “2nd-4th Grade.” The second I step into the room and the kids see me, they all run toward me.
“You’re here!” One of the youngest girls, about five years old, squeals.
“You’re so awesome!” One of the oldest boys, about ten, years old, cheers.
Melody laughed.
“Okay, Sally. Okay, T.J. Let’s give Zane some space.”
“Your name is Zane?” T.J. asks.
“Yeah,” I say.
“That’s a cool name!” he shouts.
“Yeah, I guess it is,” I smirk..
“Can you show some of your powers to us?” Sally asks.
I tighten my jaw.. I don’t want to accidentally destroy this place...or have the demon part of me go out of control. I glance worriedly at Melody.
“As long as we do it outside so nothing gets broken, I guess it’s fine,” she smiles.
Okay then. If these kids want a hero, I’ll be that hero for them.
I wish I could be that hero for Melody, too.
Melody leads me and the kids out of the building and toward the playground behind it. I take a deep breath and form some dark energy in my hands. Melody and the kids’ eyes are going wide as I do it. I raise my hands to the sky and the energy bursts like fireworks. It made the kids clap and cheer. Then, I use the energy to form a sword and pretend I’m slashing bad guys. Melody’s cheering now too, as loud and excited as the kids. I can’t help glancing at her and giving her a smirk. It’s like I’m trying to impress her as much as the kids.
“What’s your hero name?” T.J asks. “Every hero needs one.”
I shrugged. “Dunno. Hadn’t really thought of it before.”
Maybe because before Melody, I always felt like a freak.
“Oh! I just thought of one!” Melody interjects.
“Really? What is it?” I ask.
“Dark.Angel.”
My eyes go wide. “Dark.Angel?” I repeat.
“Well, yeah,” she says nervously. “I mean, even though you have dark powers, you’re still like an angel because you save people and make them happy.”
I stare at her for a few seconds. It sounds so...badass. Melody starts to freak out, rambling while waving her hands.
“I’m so sorry! That was a silly name! What do I know about hero names, anyway? I’m sure you thought of something much better!”
I walk over to her and put my hands on her shoulders.
“No, Melody. I love it.”
I think I love you.
She immediately relaxes and gives me that beautiful smile.
As the kids eat snacks that Melody brought from inside the building, I hear car engines and look up. A group of adults exit out of their cars and head towards the building. They must be the kids parents. My nerves shoot up. I may have saved their kids, but they still may see me as a monster. A woman notices us at the playground, runs over to T.J. and hugs him.
“Hi, sweetie!” She cheers. She glances at me and her face turns white. Great.
“Is that…”
“Yep! That’s the guy who saved us at the pizza place!” T.J beams like I’m his big brother.
“He used his super cool dark powers to save us! He was showing us more of them!”
A man picks up Sally and kisses her. He doesn’t look as nervous as T.J.’s mom. I hope that’s a good sign.
“Is that true, princess?” He asks her.
“Uh-huh! His name is Zane but his hero name is Dark.Angel! Miss Melody gave him that name!”
The parents are staring at me. I don’t know what to do, so I’ll just explain everything to them. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves.
“Ladies and gentleman, my name is Zane. Your children know me as Dark.Angel. You may have seen the story on the news where there was an armed robbery at the local pizzeria. I used my dark powers to protect everyone.”
I then demonstrate my powers the same way I showed the kids. The difference is that while I was excited to show the kids--I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun--I’m almost terrified to do it in front of the parents. The air is silent and cold as I finish. I slowly open my eyes and the parents are...applauding? And cheering? Wow. So this is what’s like to be in the Twilight Zone. The next thing I know, T.J.’s mom is giving me a huge hug.
“That was amazing!” She exclaims. All I can do is blink and shake my head over and over again, to the point that it looks like I might have a seizure.
“I may not know everything about you Zane…” She giggles. “I mean Dark.Angel, but you saved our children’s lives. That’s good enough for me.”
Sally’s dad walks over and shakes my hand.
“I couldn’t agree more. Thank you for protecting my little girl.”
I look over at Melody and happy tears are rolling down her face. I smile at her, the kids and their parents. I feel like I can finally be happy.
Yeah, right.
Suddenly, I hear police sirens racing toward the afterschool center. My blood turns ice cold.
This could get really, really bad.
The old police chief that I saw on the morning news jumps out of a squad car, holding a gun in his right hand. His name tag reads, Perkins.
“Leave those kids and their families alone, you punk!” He shouts while pointing the gun at me.
A younger officer whose name tag reads Baxter follows behind him, pointing his gun at me, too.
“We got a call from the people in this neighborhood about a young man using dark powers,” Baxter explained. “We will not let you harm these children. Now please, come quietly.”
Melody and the kids started screaming. In less than a minute, about two dozen more squad cars crowded the streets. All the officers are pointing their guns at me before I can blink.
I clench my teeth, shut my eyes and tighten my hands into fists. I’m doing everything I can to not let the demon inside me out, but it’s tough. No matter how hard I try to do the right thing, it’s never enough. No matter how happy I am being around Melody, it’s never enough.
I’m never enough.
The shitshow continues as several news vans follow behind the police cars. Cameramen have the windows down and point their cameras at the potential story, like I’m a performer putting on a show for them.
Before I can yell at them to fuck off, Melody jumps in front of me.
“No! Please!” Melody yelled. “Zane didn’t do anything wrong! He was just showing the kids his powers, the same he used to save all of us!” She looks behind her at the kids. “Isn’t that right, everybody?”
“Yeah!” They cheered while raising their fists in this air.
“That’s right!” T.J.’s mom shouts. “This boy saved our babies!”
Thank you!
Sally’s dad stands next to Melody, crosses his arms and scowls at the cops.
“Exactly. If I remember correctly a crazy gunman could’ve killed all of our children, but Dark. Angel stopped him.” He winks at me and I smirk.
Then, more surprises. Jackie jumps out of one of the news vans and runs towards me, but Chief Perkins grabs her wrist with his left hand.
“No! Please! My nephew would never hurt anyone!” She cries.
I see Melody’s eyes widen. Oh yeah, she and Jackie haven’t met. This is all too much for me. I’m seconds away from destroying everyone and everything. So, I’m going to do the one thing I know will keep the demon inside me at bay.
I get down on my knees and lift my wrists in the air.
“Take me away, lock me up, I don’t care,” I whispers. “Just leave everyone else out of this.”
Perkins, still holding onto Jackie’s wrist, nods to Baxter. Baxter grabs my wrists, twists them around my back and locks handcuffs on them. My head hangs low. I can hear Jackie screaming and sobbing.
This is what I do. I make people cry. I hurt them. Whether as a demon or a human. It’s all I was put in this fucked up world to do.
As Perkins carries me to a squad car, T.J. and Sally run to me with their parents, Melody and the rest of the kids and parents following them.
“We don’t care what the cops say!” T.J. shouts. “You’re still a hero to us, Zane!” He smiled a little. “I mean, Dark.Angel.”
I smile back at him.
“Ditto!” Sally chimes.
I nod at her. Then, I see Melody about to cry.
“It’s okay, Melody. It’s for the best,” I whisper and smile at her. “Thanks for everything.”
I hear Perkins scoff. “Baxter, take ‘Dark.Angel’ away.”
“You got it, Chief,” he replies.
Baxter pushes me into the back seat. Then he gets in the driver's seat with Perkins sitting in the passenger’s seat.
“So, are you takin’ me to jail?” I grumble.
Perkins gives me a deadly look over his shoulder.
“Are you kidding? If you're as dangerous as we suspect, you could kill all the inmates. We’re taking you to a place where you won’t be a threat to anyone ever again.”
I almost laugh at that. If these assholes think I’m dangerous now...I’d like to see they look on their faces if they keep fucking with me.
Chapter 8: Melody
My heart is breaking for several reasons. The kids are crying while their parents try to console them, Zane looks like he's given up on life as Chief Perkins and Officer Baxter arrest him, and worst of all, there is a woman crying hysterically as Zane is taken away. I wonder if she’s his mom. That was something Zane might have told me if we had our “talk,” but it obviously won’t happen now. In fact, I don’t know if I will ever see him again. As the woman’s breath finally calms and she is about to get into her car, a strange feeling comes over me. It’s the same feeling I had when I first met Zane. As scared as I was of him, I needed to help him. The feeling was back. Now, I’m scared for him, but I still will do anything to help him. I slowly walk towards the woman.
“Excuse me? Do you know Zane?” I ask her. She looks up at me. She still has tears in her eyes but her voice is steady.
“Yes. I’m Jackie, Zane’s aunt,” she replies.
My pulse speeds up. That explains her breakdown.
“Well, my name is Melody. I’m Zane’s friend. We go to the same school and I look over the kids you saw from a nearby afterschool center.”
She gives me a small smile. “I see. I was worried that Zane would never have a friend. I’m glad it’s with such a sweet girl like you.”
The fear in my heart starts to fade away. I grin at her.
“Thank you. That’s very nice of you to say.”
My grin slowly starts to fade.
“I hope it’s not any trouble, but can we talk?”
I lower my eyes to the ground.
“It’s...about Zane.”
Jackie’s eyes close briefly and she lets out a breath. She seems to know exactly where I’m going with this.
“You saw him, didn’t you?” She whispers.
The pain in her voice makes me panic.
“No! I mean, I did see him...change. But, it was because he was close to losing control and I just wanted to help him and I…”
Jackie puts her hand on my shoulder. “Slow down, Melody. I’ll take you to my house. Zane lives with me. We can talk there.”
I nodded.
As we drive to Jackie’s house, my nerves are going haywire. What were the officers going to do with Zane? Would they put him in jail? Would Jackie ever see him again? Would I ever see him again?
I take out my mom’s picture.
What do you think, mom?
I remember the time I sobbed for hours after my father passed away. My mom gave me a big hug and said:
Never give up, no matter what life throws your way.
I smile and hug the picture.
You’re right, mom. I won’t give up. I still believe in Zane.
I try to ignore that feeling in my chest. The one that feels stronger than just friendship.
“Melody?” I hear Jackie ask me.
I quickly turn toward her. “Oh, I’m sorry! Yes?”
“We’re here.”
I look to the side and see her house. It was small and cozy with a beautiful bright yellow coat of paint. It looks like a white picket fence and pretty flowers should be surrounding it. The thought of that makes me smile.
I follow Jackie into the front door of the house and we take seats at the kitchen table.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” She asks.
“Yes. Root beer if you have it, please” I say.
Root beer was my mom’s favorite soda. Jackie pours a cup of root beer and gives it to me. I take a long drink, trying to calm my nerves.
Jackie gives me a somber look.
“Listen, Melody. Since you’re Zane’s friend, I think you should know everything about him.”
I silently nod. I wish we could be more than friends.
“He had actually planned to have a talk with me today before the police came”
Jackie nods in understanding, then lets out a long breath.
“Since you’ve seen Zane’s true form, even though not completely, you can tell that he’s not 100% human.”
My heart falls to my stomach. I already know this deep down, but hearing it out loud makes me more anxious. I was about to learn everything about Zane’s life: the good, the bad and the ugy. Mostly the bad and the ugly.
“Zane’s father is the king of the demon world. His name is Viper. He wanted to fulfill an ancient prophecy that would allow him to conquer Earth by covering it in a never-ending blanket of darkness. To do that, he needed a son, so he could multiply his power. There were no more female demons in his world so he came to Earth.”
She paused for a second.
“Are you okay, Melody? Is this too much for you?”
I shake my head.
“No. I’m okay. I need to know everything.”
“Okay,” she whispers, then continues.
“Viper met my sister and they had Zane. When Zane turns 17, Viper will be able to combine their powers to be strong enough to fulfill the prophecy. He wanted them to be his ‘Demon Queen’ and ‘Demon Prince.’ When she refused…”
Jackie paused again.
“He killed her,” she confesses, her voice cracking.
I’m one second away from sobbing myself.
“It’s alright, Melody,” she says with a sympathetic smile.
“After that, I adopted Zane and have raised him ever since. When he turned 17 last week, I was very worried because I knew anything could trigger him and the prophecy would begin. I just prayed that he would be strong enough to keep the demon inside of him under control.”
She sits quiet in her seat for a few seconds.
“Well, now you know all about Zane.”
She gives me a reassuring smile that makes me a little less nervous.
“So, how did you meet him?”
My hands shake a little in my lap.
“Well, one day, I was on my way to the afterschool center when I heard someone groaning and screaming in pain. I saw Zane, and even though I was a little scared, I had to find a way to help him.”
Jackie smiles at me, and it’s calming my nerves down by the second.
“When we started talking he fell to the ground, screaming louder and even in more pain than before. Then, he started to transform and I just kept telling him that everything would be okay. Eventually, he calmed down and turned back to normal.”
In the blink of an eye, Jackie jumps out of her seat and gives me a big hug. As surprised as I am, I also feel really happy.
“Melody, I don’t think you know how much of an impact you’ve had on Zane,” she says.
I have a feeling I do, but I still giggle and say:
“Oh, I don’t know about that.”
She sits back down in her chair and I see her eyes sparkle.
“No, really. I keep telling him that he can use his powers to help people, like a hero. He always thinks so little of himself but…”
My heart is so excited, it feels like it’s doing cartwheels in my chest.
“Wait, Jackie! Did you say, ‘hero?’”
“Yes…” She drags out the word, clearly confused.
“Did you see that news story when Zane stopped an armed robbery at the pizzeria?”
“Yes…” She repeats in the same confused tone.
“Well, I was there with the kids from the afterschool center, and…” I pause briefly, trying to prevent the image of the robber pointing a gun at me from returning to my mind. I quickly recover before Jackie notices.
“Sorry. So anyway, the kids and I were there and we saw Zane use his powers to stop the robber.”
“Seriously?! That’s amazing!” Jackie shouts as she jumps up from her seat.
I grinned.
“Yeah. The kids were so excited that they asked me if they could meet him the next day. He agreed and he showed them his powers, and then…”
I trail off. I don’t want to think about how the entire police force only saw Zane as a monster when me, the kids and their parents saw him as a hero.
Jackie finishes for me.
“I know, Melody. I know.”
As much as I try to keep the tears in my eyes, I can’t stop them from falling down my cheeks. This is so unfair. Zane doesn’t deserve any of this.
Jackie gets up from her seat, wipes my tears away and hugs me.
“It’s okay, Melody. Zane will be okay. We have to believe that.”
I sniffle and take out my picture of my mom.
“Who’s that?” Jackie asks.
“It’s my mom. She passed away last year.”
“Melody…” she whispers.
I shake my head.
“It’s okay. She always told me to stay positive and see the good in people. When I look at Zane, I don’t see a demon or a monster. I see someone who just wants to be loved and understood.”
Jackie nods in agreement. Looking down at the picture, I think about the love my mom gave me. I want to give that kind of love to Zane. That realization gives me the courage to tell Jackie something I wish I could tell Zane, but may never get the chance to. I take a deep breath.
“Jackie, I think I...:”
I hear a buzzing sound. Jackie reaches into her pocket.
“Sorry, Melody. Hold that thought. I get a text whenever there’s breaking news.”
She looks down at her phone for about 15 seconds, then covers her mouth in shock, causing the phone to fall to the floor. My heart leaps into my throat.
“Jackie, what’s wrong?”
She turns on the TV in the kitchen and flips through channels until she gets to the local news.
The caption reads: Dark.Angel Transported to Scientific Holding Facility.
My skin crawls. That sounds way worse than jail.
“Earlier today, the suspicious being known as Dark.Angel was arrested by local police after reportedly endangering a group of small children,” the reporter says.
“SWAT from all across the country have surrounded the holding facility to keep Dark.Angel at bay.”
Jackie and I just sit there, speechless. To make matters worse, I see Jackie glance out the window. When I do the same, I see the sky start to go from sunny and cloud-free to dark and ominous.
“No, no, no,” Jackie whispers.
“What is it?” I ask, my own voice shaking.
Several lightning bolts hit the ground, one at a time, and the sound of thunder cracks through the sky like a whip. We both know that something is about to happen. We look at the TV and the same thing is happening where the reporter is.
The new caption reads: Mysterious Storm Raging, Take Cover Immediately!
“We are getting reports of a storm developing and may potentially cause severe damage!” the reporter yells over the raging storm.
“Everyone, let’s get out of here!” He shouts to the camera crew.
The camera seems to have fallen to the ground, because the TV quickly turns fuzzy. The next thing we know, someone is banging on the front door. Jackie runs to the door and opens it. A pair of police officers are standing there.
“Ma’am, please come with us!” He directed. “We’re evacuating citizens from their homes and escorting them to a storm shelter!”
Jackie looks down at the floor. She knows what was really going on and it’s much worse than any regular storm. She looks back at the officers.
“Okay,” she finally agrees.
She glances over her shoulder.
“Come on, Melody. Let’s go.”
I silently nod and we follow the officers out of the house. Just as we are about to step into their squad car, I see something straight out of a horror movie. A figure dressed all in white emerges from the sky. He has a mischievous look in his eyes and his grin is a thousand times scarier than the Joker’s.
“No! Not him! Not now! This can’t be happening!” Jackie cries.
“Jackie! Is that…” I started to ask, but I’m so overcome with fear that I can’t get the word out.
“Yes. That’s Viper. Zane’s father,” she whispers.
This can only mean one thing: The prophecy.
“What the hell is that?” The two officers shout in unison.
The next thing I know, they jump into their squad car and drive away as fast as they could. I don’t blame them.
This...is...Viper.
“Ah, finally I am strong enough to conquer the Earth! Once I consume this planet in never-ending darkness, I will have enough power to control the entire universe!” He proclaims.
Then, he spots Jackie. Even though he doesn’t notice me, my own blood freezes.
“Well, well, well. What a pleasant surprise, Jackie. Nice to see you again,” he says in a sly, arrogant voice.
Jackie scowled.
Then, his eyes moved over to me.
“Oh, who do we have here?” he teases.
I almost pass out.
“Melody, get behind me!” Jackie commands.
I hide behind her body so Viper can’t see my face anymore.
“Your prophecy will never come true, Viper!” She shouts.
“Zane is strong enough to fight off the darkness!”
Viper lets out a loud cackle.
“Oh, is that so, my dear? Well, you might want to take a look behind you.”
Chapter 9: Zane
As I sit in the cop car, feeling damn uncomfortable because of my height, I think about what Perkins told me. They’re not taking me to jail, but to someplace much worse. Wherever it is, I deserve it. Because of my demon blood, I put everyone around me in danger. Those kids, their parents, Jackie, Melody.
Melody.
I groan as I think about her. This sweet girl has been through so much, and unlike me, she never gives up. Every second I’m around her I start to believe that there’s hope for me.
What a joke.
I’m a monster and that’s all there is to it.
“We’re here!” Perkins calls out.
I look up and see a gigantic building with a dull, bleak, grayish color, like a tombstone. It has several floors. It looks like Dracula’s castle. There are antennas sticking out of the far left and right wings, and dozens of SWAT officers surrounding it.
“What the hell is this place?” I mutter.
“It’s a scientific holding facility,” Baxter responds.
“This will be your new home every day as we try to figure out who--or rather, what--you are. That way, you won’t be a danger to our city.”
I want to shout that I use my powers to save people and make kids happy, but I know I would just be wasting my breath. Perkins steps out of the police car and drags me in front of the holding facility. The cops and soldiers stare at me. I growl back at them. Some simply raise their eyebrows, while others flinch. They probably saw a little of my demon side come out. I’m quickly losing it, and I’m not sure if I cared anymore.
The cops escort me into the facility. It has the same gloom, depressing gray color as the outside.
Shit.
At the end of the hallway stands a scientist in a white coat. His name tag reads, Dr. Duff. He reminds me of Viper, which makes me want to vomit. The cops hold up their badges.
“Chief Perkins and Officer Baxter, at your service,” Perkins states.
“We have apprehended the entity known as Dark.Angel.”
Entity?
Man, they really don’t think of me as human.
I don’t, either.
Not anymore.
Duff gives me a sinister smile. Again, thoughts of Viper assault my mind. I want to scream, but I know it won’t change anything.
“Thank you, officers,” he replies smugly.
“When I saw this freak on the news, I was hoping you would capture him. So what if he saved lives? He’s much more dangerous than any human. He’s clearly up to something. Let’s not take any chances.”
I grit my teeth, feeling the demon emerging.
He takes a step towards me.
“We’re going to have lots of fun,” he teases.
I look over my shoulder and see Perkins with the same expression on his face, while Baxter scoffs at me in disgust,
Fuck all of you.
They walk away and Duff leads me to the elevator at the end of the hall. At the top floor, there’s another group waiting for me.
“This is to make sure you don’t try any funny business,” Duff whispers in my ear.
Two soldiers grab me and drag me into a large all-white room.
Fuck!
All this fuckin’ white makes me think of fuckin’ Viper!
They strap me to a chair that looks like the kind of chair you see in a dentist’s office. Duff puts on some stupid-looking scientific glasses and stands behind a machine that looks like one of those water guns you see at county fairs. It almost makes me snicker.
“This nifty machine will launch a laser into your body that will literally extract the dark powers out of you. When I’m done, there will be no more evil demons corrupting our peaceful little town.”
I’m not evil, I’m a hero!
I’m only half demon!
I’m just as human as anyone else!
I want to scream all of this in protest. Instead, I just shut my eyes and pray for this to be over quickly. Duff and the asshole SWATs laugh like they’re the villains and I’m the hero. Yeah, right. Like I can be a hero. I'm a demon, that’s it. Suddenly, the evil voice that contaminated my brain before I met Melody consumes my thoughts again.
What’s the point of trying to be a normal human? It won’t solve anything.
No, it won’t. There’s no hope…
Would helping Viper with the prophecy really be all that bad?
I guess not. If I have to drown in darkness, everyone else does, too...
I mean, it… it’s my destiny.
It sure is…
In my mind, I see Viper standing in front of me, holding out his hand. Shadows of bleak darkness swirl around us.
“Zane, my son, join me. Be my demon prince and I will help you get revenge on these pathetic humans.”
“Yes, father…”
“Make them suffer as you have suffered…”
“Yes, father…”
“Together, we will be the most powerful beings in the universe!”
“Yes, father…”
Viper snaps his fingers and I wake up from my trance. I see the dark aura taking over me and I know I’m starting to transform. My vision turns black as my eyes darken. I touch my teeth with my tongue to find they have turned into pointy fangs. I taste blood. I look down and see the demonic markings develop on my arms. Duff and the SWATs look absolutely terrified. The laser is gaining power.
If these motherfuckers want a demon, I’ll give them a fucking demon.
“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!!!” I scream from the top of my lungs, just before the laser fires.
The dark shadows around me capture the laser’s energy and it disappears right before it hits me. I pull the straps holding me to the chair off my arms and legs and stomp towards Duff and the SWATs.
“What the hell?” they shout in unison.
The demon inside has completely overtaken me. I let out a deep, otherworldly growl as I shoot overpowering dark energy from my hands at them. The entire room starts to shake as glass breaks and the plaster floor cracks so hard and deep, shards may have fallen into the center of the Earth. Duff and the SWATs crash through the glass screen and into the hallway. I hear them groan and struggle to get up. I clench my hands into fists and see that they were still full of my demonic power, as if I hadn’t just used it. I smirk.
Who’s laughing now?
I step out of the room and see all of the SWATs running towards me.
Shoot him!” The leader of the SWAT Team orders.
As they shoot their assault rifles at me, I hold up my left hand to create a blanket of dark energy to block their shots. They all tremble in fear. Maybe they know what’s coming next. I form knives from my dark energy and throw them at the SWATs. They all fall on the ground, groaning in agony. I walk past them and toward the front door of the facility. Just as the SWATs who were guarding the door outside notice me and aim their assault rifles at me, I push my arms to the side and a strong wind blows them out of my way.
I stop abruptly as an intense pain shoots into my head and my heart.
“Ah, shit!” I howl as I fall to the ground, pulling my hair. Viper’s voice echoes in my ears.
“Come to me, Zane. We’re one step closer to achieving our goal.”
“Yes, father…”
I blindly follow his voice, not sure where I’m going. My feet seem to have a mind of their own.
Who am I kidding? I can’t be a regular human.
I don’t deserve happiness.
I don’t deserve Melody.
I don’t stop walking for a second, even when I think of Melody. Her gentleness, her beauty, her smile.
What a joke.
The darkness has completely overtaken the tiny bit of humanity that's in my heart. My destiny has always been to be Viper’s demon prince. That’s all I am put on this fucked-up world to be.
Chapter 10: Melody
“Oh, is that so, my dear? Well, you might want to take a look behind you.”
Jackie gulps and my skin tingles. We turn around, slowly and carefully. What I see makes me want to cry until I can't cry anymore. It’s Zane. He’s surrounded by shadows and darkness. His eyes are pitch black with absolutely no irises. His body has even more makrings than before.
No. He’s a complete demon now.
Viper flies over us and stands behind Zane, putting his hands on Zane’s shoulders.
“Zane, my boy! You finally accepted your destiny!” Viper beams.
“Yes, father,” Zane drawls in a deep, scary, demonic voice.
Pieces of my heart fall to my stomach, leaving me feeling nothing but fear and pain.
“No, Zane! Please, snap out of it! This isn’t you!” I cry out to him.
Zane waves his hand and a wall of dark, otherworldly fire spreads in front of me and Jackie.
Did he even hear what I said?
Was he really gone forever?
Viper laughs and pats Zane on the back. Then, they hold out their hands and a blanket of darkness covers the sky. It quickly spreads downward to the buildings, then lower to the streets. I am frozen in fear.
The prophecy was coming true.
We turn around when we hear police sirens approaching us. Officer Baxter jumps out of his squad car.
“Melody! Jackie! Come with me! I’ll get you to the storm shelter!”he shouts.
As Jackie and I run to his squad car, I see that Viper has a demonic grin on his face.
“Where do you think you’re going?” He taunts.
He snaps his fingers and Zane flies over me, then swoops down and grabs me.
I scream.
“Tell Zane to let Melody go, Viper!” Jackie shouts.
Officer Baxter grabs Jackie’s wrist as Viper flies towards them.
“Jackie, come on! We have to go!” He insists.
Jackie clenches her jaw, stifling a cry. They jump into the squad car and speed to the storm shelter.
Viper was flying behind them.
“Get back here! Nothing and no one can save you!” He shrieks.
Zane is crushing my body. My heart breaks as I see the nightmarish black color of his eyes. I don’t even try to hold back the tears. I cry painfully, tears of sorrow falling down my cheeks. He’s holding me even tighter. I’m sure that I will lose all of the air in my lungs within minutes.
Living without Zane would be worse than dying.
“Zane, please let me go! I still believe in you!” I yell.
He lets out a low, monstrous growl, and his grip on me loosens a little.
I need to keep believing in him.
“You’re a hero! You may not see it, but I do!” I call out.
His fangs slowly start to turn to normal teeth. This might be my last chance to save him. I needed to tell him how I feel.
Here goes nothing…
“I love you, Zane!” I cried.
I repeat it over and over, hoping it will get through to him. Since meeting Zane, all I’ve wanted is for him to be happy. We’ve both been through tragedy, but I choose to be happy and I want the same for him. Even if this is my last day alive, I still won’t give up on him.
You never give up on the people you love.
Chapter 11: Zane
The never-ending darkness has taken over my soul.
I’m nothing but a monster.
“I love you, Zane!”
My humanity has been destroyed by my inner demons.
I don’t deserve to be happy.
“I love you, Zane!”
Happiness isn’t for me.
I’m not…
“I love you, Zane!”
Wait, what the hell…
“I love you, Zane!”
Holy shit! Melody?!
My eyes shoot open and my head is throbbing, like someone has literally knocked me out of a nightmare.
Damn!
I look up and see that the sky is as dark and black as a bottomless chasm, with not a dot of light in sight. My eyes frantically look around me. An ominous mist covers the street. It’s slowly turning to the same hopeless black color as the sky.
What the hell is going on?
I realize that my arms are grabbing onto someone tightly and their arms are doing the same. My eyes slowly looked down and I saw her.
Melody.
“I love you, Zane!” She cries again.
It’s not a dream. She’s really saying it.
Melody loves me.
I hear her start to wheeze, like she’s losing her breath. I realize that I’m still crushing her body.
Oh my God!
I quickly let her go and she kneels on the ground, coughing and holding onto her chest. I take a knee in front of her.
“Melody! Melody! Are you okay?!” I panic.
She looks up at me and her eyes widen.
Was she still scared of me?
I feel normal. I don’t see any demon symbols on my body. I touch my teeth with my tongue and realize that they’re straight again. Before I can say another word, Melody wraps her arms around me and starts crying again. My heart is breaking.
“Zane! Oh my gosh! You’re okay!” She sobs.
I guess I’m back to normal after all.
And it's because of her.
I put my hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.
“Melody, did I do all of this?” I ask, my eyes wandering to the desolation of the city around us.
She freezes, not sure how to answer me at first. She sighs.
“Some of it, but it wasn’t your fault. You were under Viper’s control.”
Melody sniffles, and I wipe away her tears with my thumb.
“How did that happen, anyway? How did you turn into a complete demon?” She asks.
I swallow hard. I shudder as I think about my full transformation, but I know I need to tell Melody everything.
“Remember when I showed the kids my powers and I let the cops take me away?” I ask.
She nodded.
“I saw on the news that they took you to a scientific holding facility.”
I briefly close my eyes. I know I’m about to recall the time I gave up on being human.
“Yeah. They were about to do some experiment one me to physically extract the dark demon powers out of me.”
Melody gasps and covers her mouth. My body tenses.
“I remember my demon powers kicked in. They were at least a thousand times stronger than what you’ve seen before. I smashed through the facility and knocked all of the SWAT soldiers that were guarding the facility out of the way.”
“W-what do you mean your powers were at least a thousand times stronger than before?” She asks, her voice quivering like she knows what the answer is.
I try to keep my own voice steady.
“I...I had given up on being human. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t do anything right. I tried to forget about Viper and his prophecy, but I wasn’t strong enough to control the demon side of me. I had accepted my fate as his Demon Prince. There was no hope left for me.”
Melody gives me a sad smile, struggling not to cry again.
“Zane, we all have a choice to how we live our lives. Ever since I met you, I could tell that you weren’t a monster. You just needed someone to see you for who you really are.”
Without thinking twice, my hands are on her cheeks and kiss her softly. I hold her gently in my arms and feel every bit of darkness leave my body.
“I love you, Melody,” I whispered.
Chapter 12: Melody
I love you, Melody.
Those words echo in my ears again and again. They calm my racing heart. When I saw Zane in his complete demon form, obeying every word Viper said, I was terrified that he would never be okay. But now here he is, choosing to live and to not give up. I’m so happy for him. Then, I think about his kiss. I swear I could feel his pain disappear. No matter what happens, everything will be okay, as long as we are together.
Suddenly, I hear a loud banging noise. It sounds like an explosion. I jerk my head up to meet Zane’s eyes.
“Oh my gosh! What was that?!”
Zane squints his eyes as he looks down the street.
“I’m not sure. I can’t see from here.”
He takes my hand and helps me get to my feet. He looks at his hands and they have dark energy around them. He closes them into fists. My heart speeds up
. Was he going to transform and go back to the demon side of him?
Instead, Zane looks pretty much the same. This is the first time he hasn’t changed at all when his powers start developing.
“Melody, are you afraid of heights?” He asks.
I’m not sure what that had to do with the loud sound we just heard, but I answer anyway.
“Not really. Why?”
He narrows his eyes and holds me close.
“Hold on tight.”
Before I can ask what he means, he jumps high into the night sky. I yelp as we leave the ground. A thought makes my heart fly high, too: This looks like a scene from those superhero movies me and mom used to watch. I look up at Zane.
He’s amazing.
“Melody, look down there!” Zane shouts as he points down.
Dozens of police officers are in front of the storm shelter. They’re shooting at Viper, but to no avail. He throws them around, wraps them in dark energy and then throws them on the ground again. The sight almost makes me scream.
“Zane, we have to get down there!”
“Right! Keep holding onto me, Melody!”
Zane backs up and jumps from the sky to the ground. I close my eyes, praying that I won’t let go of him. He lands on his feet right behind Viper. The ground shakes a little, but not enough that Viper notices. My mind is spinning as I carefully get off him. It feels like the jump took five minutes but it probably only took five seconds. Viper is standing in front of the storm shelter’s front doors. All of the police officers, including Chief Perkins and Officer Baxter, are laying on the ground, struggling to stay alive. The squad cars are turned over and their headlights are shattered. Viper lets out a terrifying laugh as he blasts the door with dark energy.
“No one can stop me now! The entire world will drown in darkness and soon I will take over the entire universe!” He bellows.
Zane and I see the kids, their parents, Jackie and everyone else in the city crammed in the shelter like sardines. They’re all trembling in fear. I hear Zane growl angrily through his teeth.
“Hey, Viper!” He shouts.
Viper quickly turns around and gives us a sinister grin from ear to ear.
“Oh, look who it is! My son, Zane!”
His eyes meet mine and I hold Zane’s hand to keep from passing out.
“Oh my my! We meet again, miss…”
He licks his lips and my body trembles with fear.
“Melody…” He whispers mischievously.
I feel like I want to throw up after hearing him say my name. Viper doesn't seem to mind at all that Zane didn’t finish me off, like he thought Zane would. It seems like Viper can read my mind because he says:
“So, this worthless girl is still alive. No matter. She’ll soon be dead along with all the other wretched humans you call friends and family!” He exclaims as he points to everyone in the storm shelter.
I see that everyone is seconds away from crying and so am I.
Zane grinds his teeth so hard I think they might break.
“Screw you!” He snarls as he holds my hand tight.
“The love Melody and I have is way stronger than the demon blood in my veins! She showed me how to be happy, how to choose my own path! My destiny was never to be your Demon Prince; it was to be a hero!”
He looks over at me and smiles.
“I realize that now,” he whispers and I smile back.
Oh, my gosh. I love you, Zane.
Viper laughs so loud that it echoes throughout the street.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Zane! You are a demon, like me! Stop fooling yourself!”
Zane’s eyes narrow and he clenches his fist. Dark energy forms in them instantly.
“What do you say we test that?” Zane scoffs.
Viper smirks and lifts his arms. The sky went almost entirely pitch black. As scary as the clouds and fog were, they at least cast shadows over the sky and ground. Now, if not for Zane and Viper’s powers and the lights in the storm shelter,, it would be impossible to see anything.
“Melody, go in the storm shelter and hide with everyone,” Zane says before he jumps into the air.
“You’re going to wish you didn’t betray me! Prepare to die!” Viper cackles as he flies into the air behind Zane.
As I run towards the storm shelter as fast as I can, not looking back once, I know that the world will either be saved or destroyed. There is no middle ground. Zane’s strong words echo in my mind over and over again as I run:
The love Melody and I have is way stronger than the demon blood in my veins!
I hope that’s true.
Chapter 13: Zane
Before I met Melody, I thought my destiny was to help Viper conquer Earth and then the universe. I never wanted that but I felt I had no choice. Then I met Melody and she taught me that we have a choice on how we live our lives. She chose to be happy, and I did the same. I thought my powers were a curse, but now I realize I can use them to save people...and save the world. I’m high in the sky and Viper is right behind me. I shoot dark energy at him with my left hand and form a sword with the energy in my right hand.
“Take this, you bastard!” I yell as I attack.
Viper creates a whip out of dark energy and he hits me across the face with it before I can counter his attack. I scream as I crash to the ground, creating a big crack through the street.
“See? I told you! The human part of you has made you weak!” Viper taunts
Shut...the fuck...up.
He lifts his arms and creates a giant orb of demonic energy. I try to get up and move away but my body is so battered from falling on the ground that I can’t. I scream as the energy engulfs me. It feels like my heart is stopping. I can’t breathe and it feels like all of the blood and energy has drained from my body. I’m sure I’ll be dead in a few minutes.
“You’re a poor excuse for a demon and a human! You’re nothing! You can’t even stand up on your own two feet!” Viper laughs.
I’m struggling to get up but it feels like my body is dead, with no life to hold it together.
It feels like my soul is dead, too.
As I lay on the ground, struggling to keep my eyes open, seconds from death, I remember the nightmare I had on my birthday. The last thing I thought as Viper dragged my down into the depths of darkness was:
There’s nothing I can do to stop him.
Looks like I was right all along.
“Zane! Please get up!” I hear a voice scream in a distorted voice, like something from another dimension.
What the fuck?
“We all need you! I need you!” The voice screams again.
I lift my head and realize that Melody is screaming through a megaphone.
Melody.
The girl who gave me a reason to live, to keep fighting.
The girl I love.
I can’t believe I was so fucking stupid to give up that easily. I can’t let Melody, Jackie and everyone else die. I carefully, steadily get up, grind my teeth and clench my fists.
“Hey, Viper! Don’t forget about me! You're not finished with this pathetic human yet!” I roar at him, while he is still facing everyone.
He turns around and gives me an evil grin.
“Back for more, son? Very well!” He hollers.
He forms knives out of his power and throws them at me. I quickly release the dark energy from my hands to deflect the knives. Viper steps closer and closer to me, firing more knives as he goes. I need to get on the offensive if I have any chance of beating him. Then, I hear something that gives me the strength I need.
“Dark.Angel! Dark.Angel! Dark.Angel!”
Was that...chanting?
I glance to my right and see Melody directing everyone to chant my hero name. I smile.
Melody...you’re my hero.
I smirk at Viper, and for the first time since he came to Earth, his devilish smile disappears.
“And just what is so amusing, my boy? There’s no way you can beat me!” He spits out, like the thought of him losing was vile.
“Turn around, Viper,” I slyly tell him.
He swiftly turns his head to see everyone chanting. He growls in disgust.
“Now you see how strong us ‘weak and pathetic’ humans can be!”
While still deflecting Viper’s attack with my left hand, I use my right hand to form spikes with my powers and throw them at him. He steps back and groans in pain, causing the knives to vanish. Catching him off guard, I shoot a blast of dark energy at him, which causes him to fall back against one of the police cars he turned over. The sound of shattered glass and metal echoes through the air and I see everyone in the storm shelter cover their ears.
“Why, you little…” Viper groans as he staggers to his feet.
He lifts his hands over his head and thunderclouds begin to cover the sky. I know Viper’s gonna try to make lightning bolts come down, so I prepare to create a force field to protect everyone. However, Viper’s hands start to shake and he falls to the ground. The thunderclouds fade away and the sky starts to lose its nightmarish black color. It turns into a normal midnight color and Viper shouts loudly.
“What is happening?!” He yells.
I step toward him and step on his head. He coughs and demons leave his mouth, fading into the air.
“The darkness inside me is fading away,” I whisper with a mix of mischief and anger.
“That’s the source of your power. The more anger and sorrow I have, the stronger you become. Now that I’m happy, you’re weak as hell.”
Viper’s eyes went wide.
“But how can this be?”
I point at Melody and everyone.
“That girl and those people don’t see me as a monster. They believe in me. Thanks to them, I’ve realized that I’m more than just a pawn for you and your shitty prophecy.”
I turn to Melody and I give her a cocky smile. She nods at me, knowing exactly what I want her to do.
People in love tend to know how to read each other’s minds.
She turns to everyone and shouts through her megaphone:
“Ok, everybody! If we want Zane to defeat Viper once and for all, we need to awaken the hero inside of him! Everybody chant ‘Dark.Angel’ as loud as you can, as much as you can!” She directed.
This...girl...is...amazing.
“Dark.Angel! Dark.Angel! Dark.Angel!” Everyone chants, at least ten times louder than the first time.
I can feel Viper’s body going lighter and softer under me by the second. I feel a strong force in my hands. I look down and gasp. The dark energy emerging from them is so powerful that the dark shadows it created are spreading from my hands to my arms. I have never felt this kind of power before. It soon spread throughout my entire body, and began healing the bruises and lacerations on my body from earlier. I glared at Viper and gave him the kind of demonic smile he taunted me with earlier.
“You’re done, Viper,” I state smugly with a cocky grin on my face.
I grab him by the throat, toss him up into the air and use the energy in both of my hands to create two swords. I jump into the air and slash him quickly, over and over again. More demons are escaping his mouth and he’s looking more pale by the second.
Almost finished.
As he falls to the ground, I lift my hands over my head and start to form the kind of demonic orb he attacked me with earlier. It’s not as big and it may completely drain my demonic energy too, but it’ll be enough to finish him off for good.
“Dark.Angel! Dark.Angel! Dark.Angel!” Melody and the citizens continue to chant.
That’s all the encouragement I need.
“DIE, YOU ASSHOLE!!!” I scream from the top of my lungs as I throw the orb on him.
Before it hits him, I fly to the storm shelter. The kids are hugging their parents and Melody is holding Jackie’s hand.
“Zane, what is…” Melody starts to ask before I grab her face and kiss her.
“It’s okay. It’s almost over,” I whisper.
Just as she’s about to ask what I mean, I turn my head and see the orb about to hit Viper. I turn back around and see that the crowd is watching and they start to panic. The kids are crying and their parents are trying not to do the same. Jackie and Melody are folding their hands and closing their eyes.
“Everybody, lay down on your stomachs, cover your heads and ears and don’t come up until I tell you!” I direct like a drill sergeant.
They all immediately do and I use the last of my strength to create a force field around the entire storm shelter. A few seconds later, the orb hits Viper and he lets out a demonic, blood-curdling scream that sounds like every demon and monster from the demon world screaming at once. I growl as I hold the force field in place. The sound hurts my ears like a bitch and I wouldn’t be surprised if they start bleeding. To make matters worse, I don’t know how much longer I can hold the force field up before I pass out... or maybe even die. Still, as I look at everyone who believes in me--the kids, their parents, Jackie and my angel Melody--I know there’s nothing I can't do. I can hear Viper’s screams start to fade and I know he’s almost finished.
Just...a little...longer…
After what feels like an eternity, Viper’s screams start to fade until he’s just laying on the ground, moaning and wheezing. I let my hands fall to my sides and I fall to my knees. I check my hands to see if I have any dark energy left. Just barely, but enough to knock out Viper for good. I stagger to my feet and approach him. He looks damn disgusting with his face all wrinkled and dried up from a lack of demonic energy. There’s no way he could form that arrogant grin on his face now.
“Zane...you..will...always...be...my...demon...prince…” he wheezes out.
What a fucking joke.
“No, Viper. I’m not your son,” I tell him in a surprisingly calm voice.
“You’re not my father. You and your prophecy have failed. It’s over.”
I lift up my fists in the air with the last amount of dark energy I have and pound them down onto Viper’s chest. He coughs and one last demon leaves his mouth and disappears like smoke. His entire body starts to disintegrate: His hair, eyes, mouth, head, chest, arms and legs.
The dust left behind vanishes as if it was never there.
Good...fucking...riddance.
I fall to the ground, my energy completely drained. I hear screaming, crying and feet stomping. I lift my head, turn around and see Melody, Jackie and all of the citizens running toward me.
“Zane! Are you okay?!” Melody cries as she hugs me.
I slowly open my eyes. There she is, holding me, tears in her eyes. My heart beats faster than I can keep up with, so I decide to do the one thing I know will calm it down. I grab the back of her head, close my eyes and kiss her, deep and long. She squeals in surprise and I don’t give a damn that practically the whole city is watching us.
I need her.
I might die without her.
Suddenly, I hear a cough. I open my eyes and see Jackie standing next to us. She crosses her arms and smiles. Then, it dawns on me.
Shit! Melody and Jackie haven't met before Viper came. Plus, me and Melody were supposed to have our talk.
I pull back from Melody and nod towards Jackie.
“Melody, this is my aunt, Jackie. She…”
Jackie just shook her head.
“It’s okay, Zane. Melody and I have talked already. She knows everything about me…”
She pauses and her smile fades a little.
“About you…”
I blink several times.
Oh, no.
“You mean, Melody knows about me and Viper?” I ask Jackie.
She nods and her smile grows again. I narrow my eyes.
“So, that’s why you got all weird over the phone?”
“What can I say?” she says as she pats me on the back.
“I knew you were in love with her.”
My eyes widen.
“Seriously, Jackie? You knew that about, even then?”
“Sure did.” Her grin grows wider and she turns to Melody.
“A girl just knows,” she says and winks at Melody.
I turn to Melody, whose entire face is as red as a tomato.
“Listen, Melody. About everything that Jackie told you and everything that’s happened today, I…”
She interrupts me by giving me a hug and places her head on my chest. My heart calms to a steady beat.
She always knows how to put me at ease.
“It’s okay, Zane. I understand. You’re not your father. You’re not an evil monster. You’re a hero.”
I touch her cheek, my heart filling with so much love it might burst.
“You know, I remember what you said your mom told you: We should all do what we can to help other people, because you never know when you might be the angel they need.”
I pulled her in for a tight hug.
“I may be Dark.Angel, but you’re my angel, Melody,” I whisper in her ear.
I hear another cough clear through the air. I roll my eyes and smile.
“What is it now, Jackie?”
When I turn around, I see Perkins and Baxter standing in front of all of the townspeople. I scowl at them.
Talk about a fucking buzzkill.
“Chief, don’t you have something you want to say to Zane--I mean, Dark.Angel?” Baxter asks Perkins with a glare.
Perkins let out a deep sigh.
“Yes. Dark.Angel, I can’t apologize enough about how I treated you. Your aunt told me everything about you while you were fighting that demon. I was so scared of your powers that I was too blind to see that you were the hero this city needed.”
He reaches out his hand.
“Truce?” he asks with sorrow in his eyes.
I shake his hand and nod.
“Truce.”
If Melody can accept me and believe in me, then I can forgive Perkins for treating me like a monster.
“Are you sure you don’t need help carrying those?” I ask Melody as we walk to the afterschool center.
“No, I’m okay. Thank you, though,” she smiles.
Melody and I are having a pizza party with the kids to celebrate my big victory. She’s carrying four boxes herself. Just as she pulls out the key to the front door from her skirt pocket, I put my hand on her shoulder.
“What is it?” She asks.
“I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes.”
Melody closes her eyes. I look down and see dark energy developing in my hands. I form the energy into the shape of a rose.
“Okay. You can open your eyes.”
She gasps when she sees the rose in my hand. She jumps and nearly drops the pizzas.
“Okay Melody, I think I should carry the pizzas,” I laugh and hand her the rose.
“Oh my gosh, Zane! It’s beautiful!” She beams.
“Not as beautiful as you are,” I tell her I take the rose and tuck it behind her ear.
She closes her eyes briefly, then opens them and unlocks the front door. As usual, the kids all run up to us in two seconds flat. I put the pizzas on the tables of the "K4-1st Grade" and "2nd-4th grade" sections.
“What’s that, Miss Melody?” Sally asks, pointing to the rose.
“Zane made this for me,” she grins.
I nod and show the kids how I made the rose. They all jump up and down and cheer.
“We saw you two kiss after Zane beat that demon and now he made you a rose,” T.J. inquires.
“Are you boyfriend and girlfriend now?”
Melody immediately has that cute blush on her face. I wrap my arm around her shoulder.
“We sure are!” I proclaim with a big, goofy grin, and the kids cheer again.
When the parents come to pick up the kids, they thank me for protecting them.
“That’s just what us heroes do,” I say with a smile.
Melody looks up into my eyes after everyone leaves.
“I’m so proud of you, Zane. I knew you could do it,” she whispers.
I lift her chin and kiss her sweetly.
“There’s no way I could’ve beaten Viper without you Melody,” I whisper back.
“You gave me a reason to live. You’re amazing.”
She blushes and smiles at me.
I used to think my own purpose was to help Viper fulfill his prophecy and become his “Demon Prince” and that I had no choice. But, meeting Melody gave me the strength to choose my own destiny. Sure, being a “hero” wasn’t part of the plan, but I took it head on, because I can be her hero. As long as I’m with Melody, there’s nothing I can’t do.
The End
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